[The formation of taste aversion and preference under conditions of protein synthesis inhibition in rats]

The study is devoted to the role of protein synthesis in formation of chemosensory memory in rats. Two experimental models of taste memorizing were used, i.e., conditioned taste aversion (CTA) caused by association of succharin intake with being poisoned by lithium chloride, and increased taste preference (ITP) caused by the influence of primary consumption of succharin solution on its repeated intake. It was found out that CTA was not formed under conditions both of 43% inhibition of brain protein synthesis by cycloheximide and of 59% its inhibition by 8-azaguanine. Cycloheximide but not 8-azaguanine prevented formation of ITP. A proposal was made about participation of different spectra of protein and peptide molecules in formation of taste aversion and preference. The effect of protein synthesis inhibitors on the process of taste memory retrieval was not found.