Area postrema lesions impair flavor-toxin aversion learning but not flavor-nutrient preference learning.
Rats with lesions of the area postrema (APX) or sham lesions were trained to associate flavored solutions with positive or negative postingestive consequences. The APX rats were similar to controls in learning preferences for flavors paired with concurrent intragastric infusions of maltodextrin or corn oil and for a flavor paired with delayed maltodextrin infusions. In contrast, the APX rats displayed impaired aversion learning for flavors paired with toxic drug treatments (lithium chloride infusion or methylscopolamine injection). The aversion learning deficit ranged from mild to total, depending on training procedures. These findings confirm the important role of the area postrema in flavor-toxin learning but provide no evidence for its involvement in flavor-nutrient conditioning.
Touzani
Khalid
K
Department of Psychology, City University of New York, Brooklyn College and the Graduate School, New York 11210, USA.
Sclafani
Anthony
A
D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D002755:Choice Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*; D003214:Conditioning, Classical / Q000187:drug effects; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D005421:Flavoring Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity*; D008297:Male; D008526:Medulla Oblongata / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
D005421:Flavoring Agents