title: Role of the insular cortex in morphine-induced conditioned taste avoidance.
abstract: The present study investigated the role of the insular cortex (IC) in morphine-induced conditioned taste avoidance. The results of Experiment 1 revealed that IC lesions impaired taste neophobia, retarded acquisition of conditioned saccharin avoidance and apparently attenuated the magnitude of that response at asymptote. Using neurologically intact subjects, Experiment 2 established that a safe and familiar saccharin stimulus supports substantially weaker conditioned avoidance at asymptote than does a potentially dangerous and novel saccharin stimulus. This pattern of results does not support the hypothesis that IC lesions disrupt the learning mechanism responsible for morphine-induced conditioned taste avoidance. The data are, however, consistent with the hypothesis that IC lesions impair the perception of the danger and/or novelty of the taste stimulus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1007 West Harrison Street, Chicago, IL 60607, USA.
authors.forename: Jian-You
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Joe
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Arthurs
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Reilly
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000293:injuries / Q000502:physiology; D003214:Conditioning, Classical / Q000187:drug effects*; D018690:Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists / Q000633:toxicity; D008297:Male; D009020:Morphine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016202:N-Methylaspartate / Q000633:toxicity; D009294:Narcotics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012439:Saccharin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D013549:Sweetening Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D013649:Taste / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D018690:Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists; D009294:Narcotics; D013549:Sweetening Agents; D016202:N-Methylaspartate; D009020:Morphine; D012439:Saccharin