Sham drinking of glucose solutions in rats: some effects of hydration

Sham-drinking patterns were observed in rats with oesophageal fistulae and gastric cannulae. In rats both food- and water-deprived at test, first-session sham intake was an inverted U-shaped function of glucose concentration (the preference-aversion pattern). Sham intake at low and high extremes rose with repeated exposure, so that the function flattened. When the rats were hydrated by a gastric water preload, sham intake of glucose at low concentrations was much reduced, whereas sham intake at high concentrations was little affected, so that the function became monotonic increasing. This time sham intake rose with repeated testing at high concentrations, but not low ones, so that the function steepenned. At low concentrations, the low sham intakes reflected a rapid termination of the sham-drinking bout. This does not reflect a delayed effect of the gastric water load, for introducing a further delay between load and drinking test did not enhance the effect. Finally, an intragastric load of isotonic NaCl was less effective than water in suppressing sham drinking, just as it is less effective in inhibiting thirst. We conclude: (1) sham drinking is terminated by an accumulation of orosensory feedback; and (2) the taste presented to the mouth, and the animal's hydrational status, jointly determine the amount of such feedback that is necessary to end the ingestive bout.