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Ontogeny of polycose and sucrose appetite in neonatal rats
1Department of Psychology, Brooklyn College, NY 11210.
Insights
Neonatal rats show an innate preference for sweet tastes, responding similarly to sucrose and starch-derived polysaccharides like Polycose. This suggests rats possess taste receptors for both sugars and complex carbohydrates from birth.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Animal Behavior
- Physiology
Background:
- Rat pups exhibit unlearned preferences for certain tastes, crucial for survival and development.
- Previous research indicates a preference for sucrose in neonatal rats, but less is known about their response to complex carbohydrates.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the ingestive responses of rat pups to sucrose and starch-derived polysaccharides (Polycose).
- To determine the developmental timeline of taste discrimination for these solutions in early life.
Main Methods:
- Rat pups aged 3 to 15 days were administered sucrose or Polycose solutions (.03 M or .3 M) via oral cannulas.
- Solution intake, mouthing behavior, and general locomotor activity were systematically recorded and analyzed.
Main Results:
- Rat pups displayed comparable ingestive responses to both Polycose and sucrose across tested concentrations.
- Discrimination between concentrated (.3 M) sucrose and water occurred by 6 days of age; Polycose discrimination occurred by 9 days.
- At a lower concentration (.03 M), pups responded to Polycose before sucrose, indicating an early sensitivity to complex carbohydrates.
Conclusions:
- Neonatal rats possess an innate preference for starch-derived polysaccharides, similar to their preference for sucrose.
- These findings suggest the presence of taste receptors for both sugars and polysaccharides in neonatal rats.
- The results align with studies on adult rats, supporting a conserved chemosensory system for carbohydrates across the lifespan.
Abstract:
Rat pups 3 to 15 days of age were infused with sucrose or Polycose solutions (.03 or .3 M) through oral cannulas and their solution intake, mouthing behavior, and general locomotor activity were recorded. Overall, the pups displayed similar ingestive responses to Polycose and sucrose. They discriminated between .3 M sucrose and water as early as 6-days of age, and between .3 M Polycose and water as early as 9-days of age. However, at the .03 M concentration the pups responded to Polycose before they responded to sucrose. The results confirm previous reports that rat pups have an unlearned preference for sucrose and demonstrate that a similar preference exists for starch-derived polysaccharides. The Polycose appetite displayed by the neonatal rats is consistent with results obtained with adult animals which suggest that rats have taste receptors for starch-derived polysaccharides as well as for sugars.