Conditioned gaping in rats: a selective measure of nausea.
When intraorally infused with a flavored solution previously paired with an emetic drug, rats display a characteristic gaping reaction that reflects conditioned nausea in this species that is unable to vomit. The commonly used conditioned taste avoidance measure, is not a selective measure of nausea because nearly every drug tested (even rewarding drugs) is capable of producing a conditioned taste avoidance. In contrast, only emetic drugs produce conditioned gaping reactions in rats, and anti-emetic drugs interfere with the establishment and the expression of conditioned gaping reactions but do not interfere with conditioned taste avoidance. The conditioned gaping reaction can be used as a pre-clinical tool to evaluate the side effects of nausea that might result from newly developed pharmaceutical agents.
Parker
Linda A
LA
Department of Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3C5. lparker@wlu.ca
Limebeer
Cheryl L
CL
D000818:Animals; D000932:Antiemetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000502:physiology; D003214:Conditioning, Classical / Q000502:physiology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004639:Emetics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009325:Nausea / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D051381:Rats
D000932:Antiemetics; D004639:Emetics