Single unit responses of the amygdala after conditioned taste aversion in conscious rats

Amygdalar neuronal responses to sodium saccharin used as the conditioned stimulus (CS) and to other taste stimuli including sucrose, NaCl, HCl and quinine hydrochloride were recorded before and after the acquisition of conditioned taste aversion (CTA) in freely behaving rats. Of 73 units recorded from the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA), 17 (23%) and 1 (1%) exhibited facilitatory and inhibitory responses, respectively, to both the CS and sucrose after aversive conditioning to the CS. On the other hand, 3 (5%) and 11 (17%) of 64 units recorded from the central nucleus of the amygdala (Ce) exhibited facilitatory and inhibitory responses, respectively. The responsiveness of these BLA and Ce units to other taste stimuli did not change significantly. These findings that the facilitatory effect was dominant in the BLA, while the inhibitory effect was more frequent in the Ce suggest that the BLA and Ce are differentially involved in CTA.