[Effect of small doses of interferon-alpha on food conditioning in young and ageing rats]

Low doses (10 or 350 ME) of human interferon-alpha (HIA) were intranasally applied to young (3-4 months) and ageing (12-15 months) Wistar rats during food conditioning. In control groups, development of the conditioned reflex to acoustic stimulus (tone) did not differ significantly in young and ageing rats in the course of chronic applications of the HIA. However, the control ageing rats were better than young rats in time-interval conditioning. Small doses of HIA do not cause anorexia in rats whereas large doses do so. Tone-conditioning did not change in rats of both ages when they were treated with 10 ME of the HIA; moreover, 350 ME increased food motivation, especially in young rats. Time-interval conditioning in aging rats was descended by both doses to the level of young rats, whereas in young rats it did not change at all. We suggest that these differences between ages may by accounted for be different affinity and concentration of micro-opiod receptors (which are the targets for the HIA) in the brain structures responsible for food behaviour, and for counting time intervals.