title: Nucleus of the solitary tract and flavor aversion learning: relevance in concurrent but not sequential behavioral test.
abstract: Theories relating the nucleus of the solitary tract to taste aversion learning (TAL) have received their main support from immunohistochemical research. In the present study, a behavioral analysis was performed on the effect of lesions of the intermediate nucleus of the solitary tract (iNST) on concurrent and sequential flavor aversion learning tasks. Bilateral lesions of the iNST impaired concurrent flavor learning, in which animals must discriminate between two simultaneously presented flavors paired with intragastric administration of a noxious or innocuous substance, respectively. However, the same iNST lesions did not interrupt the development of sequential flavor aversion learning, in which each flavor is offered individually on consecutive alternate days. These results behaviorally confirm the relevance of the nucleus of the solitary tract in TAL and suggest a functional dissociation between the neural systems underlying concurrent and sequential flavor aversion learning.
authors.affiliation: Área de Psicobiología, Departamento de Psicología Experimental y Fisiología del Comportamiento, Facultad de Psicología, Campus de Cartuja s/n, Universidad de Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain. cristina@ugr.es
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mediavilla
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bernal
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mahía
authors.forename: Amadeo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Puerto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D031608:Area Postrema / Q000502:physiology; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D003216:Conditioning, Operant / Q000502:physiology; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012462:Saline Solution, Hypertonic / Q000494:pharmacology; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology; D017552:Solitary Nucleus / Q000502:physiology*; D013270:Stomach / Q000502:physiology; D013649:Taste / Q000502:physiology*; D014630:Vagus Nerve / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D012462:Saline Solution, Hypertonic; D012965:Sodium Chloride