Conditioned flavor avoidance and conditioned gaping: rat models of conditioned nausea
1Department of Psychology and Collaborative Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada N1G 2W1.
European Journal of Pharmacology
|October 26, 2013
Summary
Rats avoid flavors linked to sickness, but this isn't specific to nausea. Conditioned gaping, however, selectively indicates nausea in rats and is a better measure for drug effects.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Pharmacology
- Psychology
Background:
- Rats exhibit flavor aversion learning after a single exposure to a flavor paired with an emetic drug.
- Conditioned gaping reactions in rats are also observed upon re-exposure to the flavor.
- This learning can occur even with long delays between flavor consumption and emetic treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the literature on conditioned flavor avoidance and conditioned gaping reactions in rats as measures of conditioned nausea.
- To explore the neuropharmacology and neuroanatomy underlying conditioned gaping reactions.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing scientific literature on conditioned nausea in rats.
- Analysis of studies using conditioned flavor avoidance and conditioned gaping as indicators of drug effects.
- Examination of neuropharmacological and neuroanatomical data related to conditioned gaping.
Main Results:
- Conditioned flavor avoidance is not a selective measure of emetic drug effects, as non-emetic and rewarding treatments also induce it.
- Conditioned gaping reactions are consistently elicited by emetic drugs.
- Anti-emetic drugs effectively suppress conditioned gaping, suggesting it is a more selective measure of conditioned malaise.
Conclusions:
- Conditioned gaping reactions in rats represent a more selective and reliable measure of conditioned nausea compared to flavor avoidance.
- Understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of conditioned gaping can advance research into nausea and drug efficacy.
