Abstract
Previous research has shown that rats develop a conditioned taste aversion after a single pairing of a distinct taste and subsequent toxicosis. The experiments reported here test the hypothesis that the expression of a taste aversion may reflect classically conditioned nausea mediated by activation of brainstem emetic centers by taste stimuli. Rats were allowed to drink a saccharin solution (1 g/l) and 10 min later were intubated with LiCl (180 mg/kg) to produce nausea. When control rats were posttested for saccharin preference they consumed less than 50% of their pretest intake. Experimental rats were injected with one of four pharmacologically distinct antiemetic drugs 30 min prior to their posttest with saccharin. Each drug significantly attenuated the aversion to saccharin at one dose level. The antiemetic drugs we used were scopolamine HBr, cyclizine, prochlorperazine dimaleate, and trimethobenzamide. These drugs had no effect on the conditioned fear of a noise that signaled foot shock or on a natural aversion to a bitter fluid (quinine monohydrochloride, 100 mg/l). Our data suggest that pharmacological suppression of the neural mechanisms of emesis selectively disrupts conditioned taste aversions, and that moderate dose levels are critical for obtaining this effect.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Berger, B., Wise, C., Stein, L.: Area postrema damage and baitshyness. J. Comp. Physiol. Psychol.82, 475–479 (1973)
Borison, R., Borison, H.: Postnatal development of the area postrema with relation to digitalis-induced vomiting in the cat. Exp. Neurol.40, 138–152 (1973)
Borison, H. L., Wang, S. C.: Functional localization of the central coordinating mechanism for emesis in the cat. J. Neurophysiol.12, 305–342 (1949)
Brand, J. J., Colquhoun, W. P., Gould, A. H., Perry, W. L.: (-)-Hyoscine and cyclizine as motion sickness remedies. Br. J. Pharmacol. Chemother.30, 463–469 (1967)
Brett, L. P., Hankins, W. G., Garcia, J.: Prey-lithium aversions. III. Buteo hawks. Behav. Biol.17, 87–98 (1976)
Fuxe, K., Owman, C.: Cellular localization of monoamines in the area postrema of certain mammals. J. Comp. Neurol.125, 337–354 (1963)
Gadusek, F. J., Kalat, J. W.: Effects of scopolamine on retention of taste-aversion learning in rats. Physiol. Psychol3, 130–132 (1975)
Garcia, J., Ervin, F.: Gustatory-visceral and telereceptor-cutaneous conditioning-adaptation in the internal and external milieus. Commun. Behav. Biol.1, 389–415 (1968)
Garcia, J., Hankins, W. G., Rusiniak, K. W.: Behavioral regulation of the milieu interne in man and rat. Science185, 824–831 (1974)
Garcia, J., Koelling, R. A.: Relation of cue to consequence in avoidance learning. Psychon. Sci.4, 123–124 (1966)
Garcia, J., McGowan, B., Ervin, F. R., Koelling, R. A.: Cues: their relative effectiveness as a function of the reinforcer. Science160, 794–795 (1968)
Garcia, J., Rusiniak, K. W., Brett, L. P.: Conditioning food-illness aversions in wild animals:Caveant cononici. In: Operant-pavlovian interactions, H. Davis and H. M. B. Hurwitz, eds. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates (in press) 1977
Gold, P. E., Bueno, O. F., McGaugh, J. L.: Training and taskrelated differences in retrograde amnesia determined by direct cortical stimulation of the cx in rats. Physiol. Behav.11, 57–63 (1973)
Gustavson, C. R., Kelly, D., Sweeney, M., Garcia, J.: Prey-lithium aversions. I. Coyotes and wolves. Behav. Biol.17, 61–72 (1976)
Levy, C. J., Carroll, M. E., Smith, J. C., Hofer, K. G.: Antihistamines block radiation-induced taste aversions. Science186, 1044–1045 (1974)
McGowan, B., Hankins, W. G., Garcia, J.: Limbic lesions and control of the internal and external environment. Behav. Biol.7, 841–852 (1972)
Morest, D. K.: Experimental study of the projections of the nucleus of the tractus solitarius and the area postrema in the cat. J. Comp. Neurol.130, 277–300 (1967)
Norgren, R., Leonard, C. M.: Ascending central gustatory connections. J. Comp. Neurol.150, 217–278 (1973)
Norgren, R., Pfaffman, C.: Pontine taste area in the rat. Brain Res.91, 99–117 (1975)
Tan, R. G. B., Gelmon, L. J., Wyant, G. M.: Further studies of three anti-emetics in common use. Can. Anaesth. Soc. J.13, 611–615 (1966)
Torvik, A.: Afferent connections of the sensory trigeminal nuclei, the nucleus of the solitary tract and adjacent structures; an experimental study in the rat. J. Comp. Neurol.106, 51–141 (1956)
Wang, S. C.: Emetic and anti-emetic drugs. In: Physiological Pharmacology: a comprehensive treatise, vol. 2, W. S. Root and F. G. Hofman, eds., pp. 255–328. New York: Academic Press 1965
Wang, S. C., Borison, H. L.: A new concept of organization of the central emetic mechanism: recent studies on the sites of action of apomorphine, copper sulfate and cardiac glycosides. Gastroenterology22, 221–224 (1952)
Wang, S. C., Borison, H. L.: Copper sulfate emesis: a study of afferent pathways from the gastrointestinal tract. Am. J. Physiol.164, 520–526 (1951)
Wyant, G. M.: A comparative study of eleven anti-emetic drugs in dogs. Can. Anaesthesiol. Soc. J.9, 399–421 (1962)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Coil, J.D., Hankins, W.G., Jenden, D.J. et al. The attenuation of a specific cue-to-consequence association by antiemetic agents. Psychopharmacology 56, 21–25 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00571403
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00571403