Exposure to a context previously associated with nausea elicits conditioned gaping in rats: a model of anticipatory nausea.
Following one or more chemotherapy treatments, many patients report that they experience anticipatory nausea. This phase of nausea has been interpreted as a classically conditioned response where a conditional association develops between the contextual clinic cues and the nausea and/or vomiting that developed following treatment. Although rats do not vomit, they display a distinctive gaping reaction when exposed a flavored solution previously paired with a toxin. Here we report that, even in the absence of a flavored solution, rats display conditioned gaping reactions during exposure to a distinctive context previously paired with a high dose of lithium (Experiment 1 with a distinctive odor and Experiment 3 without a distinctive odor), a low dose of lithium (Experiment 2) or provocative vestibular stimulation (Experiment 2). These results suggest that the conditioned gaping reaction in rats is selectively elicited by nausea-paired contextual stimuli, as well as flavors. This rat model of anticipatory nausea may serve as a valuable preclinical tool to evaluate the effectiveness of anti-nausea treatments and the side effect of nausea produced by newly developed pharmaceutical compounds intended for other clinical treatments.
Limebeer
Cheryl L
CL
Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.
Krohn
Jon P
JP
Cross-Mellor
Shelley
S
Litt
Devin E
DE
Ossenkopp
Klaus-Peter
KP
Parker
Linda A
LA
D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D003214:Conditioning, Classical / Q000502:physiology*; D003463:Cues; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D018021:Lithium Chloride / Q000009:adverse effects; D008297:Male; D009041:Motion Sickness / Q000523:psychology; D009325:Nausea / Q000523:psychology*; D009812:Odorants; D010812:Physical Stimulation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012399:Rotation; D013649:Taste / Q000187:drug effects; D014722:Vestibule, Labyrinth / Q000502:physiology; D014840:Vomiting, Anticipatory / Q000523:psychology*
D018021:Lithium Chloride