title: Dietary salt levels affect salt preference and learning in larval Drosophila.
abstract: Drosophila larvae change from exhibiting attraction to aversion as the concentration of salt in a substrate is increased. However, some aversive concentrations appear to act as positive reinforcers, increasing attraction to an odour with which they have been paired. We test whether this surprising dissociation between the unconditioned and conditioned response depends on the larvae's experience of salt concentration in their food. We find that although the point at which a NaCl concentration becomes aversive shifts with different rearing experience, the dissociation remains evident. Testing larvae using a substrate 0.025 M above the NaCl concentration on which the larvae were reared consistently results in aversive choice behaviour but appetitive reinforcement effects.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Perception, Action, and Behaviour, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Cheryl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Russell
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wessnitzer
authors.forename: Joanna M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Young
authors.forename: J Douglas
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Armstrong
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Webb
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological / Q000187:drug effects; D000818:Animals; D004032:Diet; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D005518:Food Preferences / Q000187:drug effects*; D007814:Larva / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D007858:Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D012201:Reward; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D012965:Sodium Chloride