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Conditioned taste aversion versus avoidance: A re-examination of the separate processes hypothesis.
Lindsey A Schier1, Kellie M Hyde2, Alan C Spector2
1Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America.
Plos One
|June 20, 2019
Summary
Rats avoid tastes linked to illness, but only severe gastrointestinal distress, like that from lithium chloride (LiCl), triggers aversive taste reactivity (TR). This shows a dissociation between taste aversion and avoidance behaviors.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Science
- Gastroenterology
Background:
- Taste aversion learning is crucial for survival, guiding animals to avoid toxins.
- Prior studies suggest a distinction between taste aversion and avoidance, but methodological limitations exist.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the dissociation between conditioned taste aversion and avoidance behaviors.
- To examine the role of gastrointestinal distress in triggering specific oromotor responses.
Main Methods:
- Rats were trained to associate saccharin (CS) with intraduodenal infusions of LiCl, lactose, or NaCl.
- Post-training assessments included intake, preference, taste reactivity (TR), and progressive ratio.
Main Results:
- Rats avoided saccharin after training with LiCl or lactose.
- Only LiCl (1.5 mEq/kg) increased aversive taste reactivity (TR) and reduced motivation for saccharin.
- Conditioned avoidance can occur without changes in taste reactivity or motivation.
Conclusions:
- A functional dissociation exists between conditioned avoidance and aversive taste reactivity.
- Gastrointestinal distress severity influences the expression of taste aversion and avoidance behaviors.
- Visceral signals play a complex role in taste-guided ingestive motivation.
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