Postingestive alliesthesia produced by exogenous cholecystokinin and blocked by abdominal vagotomy

Facial consummatory responses reflecting ingestive and aversive perceptions were studied and quantified in rats chronically implanted with oral catheters. A gustatory stimulus of 50 microliters of 1.75 M sucrose was injected into the mouth every 5 min during 65 min. At 5 min, 2 micrograms/kg exogenous cholecystokinin (CCK) was injected intraperitoneally. Typical ingestive facial consummatory responses were observed in response to sweet stimuli before the load. Aversive consummatory responses were observed in response to sweet stimuli after the intraperitoneal exogenous CCK (negative alliesthesia). Control intraperitoneal injection of saline was not followed by negative alliesthesia in response to sweet oral stimuli. In the last part of the experiment rats were vagotomized or underwent sham operation. When the vagotomized rats were again subjected to the same gustatory sessions, the intraperitoneal exogenous CCK was not followed by negative alliesthesia in response to sweet stimuli, whereas sham-operated rats presented a strong negative alliesthesia. These results in rats suggest that CCK mediates duodenal preabsorptive signal for alimentary alliesthesia. They also suggest that the effect is peripheral, with the vagus nerve as afferent pathway.