The effect of taste stimuli on histamine release in the anterior hypothalamus of rats

We studied the effect of gustatory stimulation on hypothalamic histamine release. Administering a four-basic taste mixture significantly increased histamine release, but not in the chorda tympani-transected rats. 0.1 M NaCl significantly increased histamine release, whereas 0.5 M sucrose, 0.02 M quinine HCl and 0.01 M HCl had no effect. However, when the concentration of HCl was increased to 0.03 M, a significant increase in histamine release was seen. These results suggest that taste information via the chorda tympani activates the histaminergic system.     

Influence of saccharin on Polycose, sucrose, and glucose intake and preference in rats

The effect of adding 0.125% saccharin to 3% or 32% solutions of Polycose, sucrose and glucose on the fluid intake and preference of adult female rats was examined. In Experiment 1, the rats consumed more of a 3% Polycose + 0.125% saccharin solution (P + s) than of either a 3% Polycose or 0.125% saccharin solution; similar results were obtained with sucrose + saccharin (S + s) and glucose + saccharin (G + s) solutions. The polydipsic effects of the P + s, S + s, and G + s solutions were comparable (225 to 278 ml/day). Adding saccharin to 32% Polycose, sucrose, or glucose solutions did not increase solution intake. In two-solution preference tests, though, the rats preferred the 32% Polycose + saccharin and 32% glucose + saccharin solutions to 32% Polycose and 32% glucose solutions, respectively. Saccharin did not reliably affect the preference for the 32% sucrose solution. In Experiment 2, the preference for 3% carbohydrate solutions was assessed using two-solution tests. The rats preferred 3% sucrcose to 3% Polycose or 3% glucose; they also preferred 3% Polycose to 3% glucose. When saccharin was added to the solutions, the rats displayed equal preferences for the S + s and P + s solutions, and for the P + s and G + s solutions but they strongly preferred the S + s to the G + s solution. Recent findings suggest that polysaccharides such as Polycose taste qualitatively different from sucrose and saccharin to rats, i.e., have a "nonsweet" taste.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Differential effects of neurotoxin-induced lesions of the basolateral amygdala and central nucleus of the amygdala on lithium-induced conditioned disgust reactions and conditioned taste avoidance

When rats are intraorally exposed to saccharin solution that has previously been paired with lithium chloride (LiCl), they display Pavlovian conditioned disgust reactions. When exposed to LiCl-paired saccharin solution by bottle, they display suppressed instrumental approach to the bottle resulting in suppressed consumption. The present experiments demonstrated that while neither neurotoxin-induced lesions of the basolateral amygdala (BLA) nor the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) attenuated the display of Pavlovian conditioned disgust reactions, lesions of the BLA (but not the CeA) attenuated instrumental conditioned avoidance of the taste. The results are discussed in light of current models of the role of the amygdala in aversive learning.     

Comparing immune activation (lipopolysaccharide) and toxin (lithium chloride)-induced gustatory conditioning: lipopolysaccharide produces conditioned taste avoidance but not aversion

Feeding and drinking typically involve both appetitive and consummatory behaviors. Appetitive behaviors include those behaviors produced by an animal prior to the actual consumption, such as approach movements, whereas consummatory behaviors (such as licking and chewing) are involved in the actual consumption of food. The present research compared the gustatory conditioning effects of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and lithium chloride (LiCl) in two different paradigms, conditioned taste avoidance and conditioned taste aversion which differentially affect the appetitive and consummatory components of feeding. Male rats were implanted with intraoral cannulae and habituated to a water deprivation schedule and afterwards received two conditioning days (Days 1 and 4). Each conditioning day consisted of 1 h access to a novel sucrose solution (0.3 M) immediately followed by a systemic injection of LPS (200 microg/kg), LiCl (0.15 M, 3 meq) or NaCl vehicle. Conditioned taste aversion was assessed using the taste reactivity test on Day 7, where orofacial and somatic responses were videotaped and analyzed during 3 brief (1 min) exposures to the sucrose solution. Conditioned taste avoidance was assessed on Days 8 and 9 using a two-bottle preference test (sucrose versus water). Animals conditioned with LiCl displayed typical aversive-like responses in the taste reactivity paradigm evidenced by significant reductions in positive ingestive responses (P<0.05) and an increase in active aversive responses (P<0.05) relative to controls. Furthermore, LiCl treatment resulted in conditioned avoidance of sucrose in the two-bottle preference test characterized by a decreased sucrose preference (P<0.05). Conditioning with LPS produced a reduced sucrose preference (P<0.05) relative to controls, comparable to the avoidance seen in LiCl-treated rats. In contrast, conditioning with LPS resulted in similar positive ingestive responses to intraorally infused sucrose as seen in controls. The present results demonstrate that LPS treatment produces conditioned avoidance but not aversion and suggest that LPS can selectively condition the appetitive aspects of feeding whereas the consummatory behaviors remain unaffected.     

c-Fos-like immunoreactivity in the brainstem following gastric loads of various chemical solutions in rats

The distribution of c-Fos-like immunoreactivity (c-FLI) in the lower brainstem especially in the area postrema (AP), nucleus of the tractus solitarius (NTS) and parabrachial nucleus (PBN) was examined following gastric loads of various chemical solutions in rats. An aliquot of 7.5 ml of each stimulus was intragastrically infused, and c-FLI was detected. The most remarkable c-FLI was induced by LiCl, lactose and ethanol which are known to be effective unconditioned stimuli in conditioned taste aversions. Polycose and disaccharides such as sucrose and maltose induced more c-FLI than monosaccharides such as glucose, fructose and galactose. Relatively low levels of c-FLI were observed for other sweeteners such as saccharin, glycine and alanine, and other basic taste stimuli such as NaCl, HCl, quinine and umami substances. Each stimulus induced a similar proportion of c-FLI among the subnuclei of the NTS, but not in the PBN, where chemicals effective in inducing conditioned taste aversions elicited stronger c-FLI in the external lateral subnucleus, and those in inducing conditioned taste preferences such as Polycose and glucose elicited stronger c-FLI in the dorsal lateral subnucleus. Vagotomy reduced c-FLI to about 50% for LiCl stimulation and to about 30% for sucrose stimulation, suggesting that LiCl has a larger proportion of extravagal inputs than sucrose.     

On the role of the mouth and gut in the control of saccharin and sugar intake: A reexamination of the sham-feeding preparation

Adult female rats, each fitted with a gastric fistula, were tested for their "normal-feeding" (fistula closed) and "sham-feeding" (fistula open) response to saccharin and sugar solutions under a variety of conditions. When hungry, rats consumed no more of a 0.2% saccharin solution with their fistula open than they did with their fistula closed. Increasing or decreasing the saccharin concentration did not increase the amount of solution sham fed, but adding a small amount of glucose (3%) to the saccharin solution did increase the amount sham fed. Thirsty rats, unlike hungry, significantly increased their 0.2% saccharin solution intake when tested with an open fistula. When tested with a 32% glucose solution, hungry rats consumed up to six times more solution with their fistula open than with their fistula closed. The hungry rats also sham fed significantly more of the 32% glucose solution than of the 0.2% saccharin solution or 0.2% saccharin + 3% glucose solution. Sham-feeding of a 32% sucrose solution significantly elevated blood glucose levels, but blocking this effect by adding acarbose, a drug that inhibits sucrose digestion, did not reduce the amount of solution sham fed. Several possible explanations for the differential sham-feeding response to saccharin and sugar solutions are discussed.     

Qualitative differences in polysaccharide and sugar tastes in the rat: a two-carbohydrate taste model

A conditioned taste aversion paradigm was used to assess the qualitative similarities between the tastes of a polysaccharide (Polycose) solution and sugar solutions (sucrose, maltose, glucose, fructose). In Experiment I, three groups of female rats were water deprived and conditioned to avoid a 0.025 M Polycose, a 0.1 M sucrose, or a 0.1 M maltose solution by pairing solution consumption with a lithium chloride (LiCl) injection; in a control group water consumption was paired with the LiCl injection. The extent to which the experimental groups generalized their conditioned aversion to the other three solutions was then assessed. The Polycose-conditioned group avoided the maltose solution more than the sucrose solution, and the maltose-conditioned group avoided the Polycose solution more than the sucrose solution. The sucrose-conditioned group avoided the maltose and Polycose solutions to the same relatively low degree. In additional tests the three experimental groups showed similar aversions to a glucose solution, but only the sucrose-conditioned rats avoided a fructose solution. Rats in a second experiment also displayed relatively little cross-generalization between Polycose and sucrose aversions even though they were tested with different solution concentrations. Additional tests confirmed the results obtained in Experiment 1 with maltose, glucose, and fructose solutions, and also revealed that the sucrose-conditioned group, but not the Polycose-conditioned group avoided saccharin solutions. Neither Polycose- nor sucrose-conditioned groups avoided quinine, sodium chloride, or hydrochloric acid solutions. These results, along with other recent findings, suggest that rats have two types of "carbohydrate" taste receptors, one for polysaccharides and one for sucrose, which produce qualitatively distinct gustatory sensations.     

Conditioned gaping in rats: a selective measure of nausea

When intraorally infused with a flavored solution previously paired with an emetic drug, rats display a characteristic gaping reaction that reflects conditioned nausea in this species that is unable to vomit. The commonly used conditioned taste avoidance measure, is not a selective measure of nausea because nearly every drug tested (even rewarding drugs) is capable of producing a conditioned taste avoidance. In contrast, only emetic drugs produce conditioned gaping reactions in rats, and anti-emetic drugs interfere with the establishment and the expression of conditioned gaping reactions but do not interfere with conditioned taste avoidance. The conditioned gaping reaction can be used as a pre-clinical tool to evaluate the side effects of nausea that might result from newly developed pharmaceutical agents.     

Convergence of lingual and palatal gustatory neural activity in the nucleus of the solitary tract

The responses of 54 neurons to independent sapid stimulation of 4 taste receptor subpopulations associated with: (1) anterior tongue; (2) nasoincisor ducts; (3) soft palate; and (4) foliate papillae were recorded from the nucleus of the solitary tract (NST) of the Rat. Neurons responding to stimulation of receptor subpopulations in the anterior oral cavity (anterior tongue or nasoincisor ducts) were located more rostrally in the NST than neurons responding to stimulation of receptor subpopulations in the posterior oral cavity (soft palate or foliate papillae). Half of the sampled neurons responded exclusively to stimulation of one receptor subpopulation with the remaining neurons responsive to stimulation of two or more receptor subpopulations. The most common pattern of convergence observed was between responses arising from stimulation of the taste buds on the anterior tongue and those associated with the nasoincisor ducts of the hard palate. The sensitivity of NST neurons to anterior tongue and nasoincisor duct stimulation with the 4 standard taste stimuli was determined. When stimulating the anterior tongue, the order of effectiveness was NaCl greater than HCl greater than sucrose greater than quinine hydrochloride (QHCl). When the nasoincisor ducts were tested, however, the order of stimulus effectiveness was strikingly different: sucrose was the best stimulus, followed by HCl, NaCl, and QHCl. If both the anterior tongue and nasoincisor ducts are included, stimulation of taste receptors in the anterior oral cavity of the rat produces good responses to stimuli representing 3 of the 4 classical taste qualities: sweet, salty, and sour.     

Sucrose-predictive cues evoke greater phasic dopamine release than saccharin-predictive cues

Cues that have been paired with food evoke dopamine in nucleus accumbens (NAc) and drive approach behavior. This cue-evoked dopamine signaling could contribute to overconsumption of food. One manner in which individuals try to restrict caloric intake is through the consumption of foods containing artificial (non-nutritive) sweeteners. We were interested in whether cues paired with a non-nutritive sweetener (saccharin) would evoke similar dopamine release as cues paired with a nutritive sweetener (sucrose). We trained food-restricted rats to associate distinct cues with sucrose or saccharin pellets. In the first group of rats, training sessions with each pellet took place on different days, maximizing the opportunity for rats to detect nutritional differences. After training, voltammetry recordings in NAc core revealed that sucrose cues evoked greater phasic dopamine release than saccharin cues. In a second group of rats, on each training day, sucrose and saccharin pellets were presented in pseudorandom order within the same session, to mask nutritional differences. In this condition, the difference in dopamine between sucrose and saccharin cues was attenuated, but not abolished. These results suggest that sucrose-paired cues will more powerfully motivate behavior than saccharin-paired cues. The differing responses to each cue seem to be driven by overall preference with both the nutritional value that the pellets predict as well as other factors, such as taste, contributing.     

Effects of midazolam on the expression of conditioned taste aversion in rats

In conditioned taste aversion (CTA), the animals learn to avoid a taste substance (conditioned stimulus, CS) which was previously associated with visceral distress (unconditioned stimulus, US). The present study examined the effects of administration of midazolam (MDZ), a benzodiazepine agonist, after the acquisition of CTA on the expression of CTA. After ingestion of 0.5 M sucrose (CS) was paired with an intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of 0.15 M LiCl (US), control rats showed strong CTA to the CS. However, a systemic injection of MDZ (1.5 mg/kg, i.p.) before the retention test prevented conditioned animals from rejecting the CS, but in the subsequent retention tests where the drug was not administrated, those animals again showed strong aversions to the CS. Aversive taste reactivity patterns to the intraorally infused sucrose and 0.3 M dl-alanine in the conditioned animals were also diminished by the similar injection of MDZ, but not by a serotonergic anxiolytic agent, buspirone (2.5 or 5.0 mg/kg, i.p.). General taste sensory deficit might not be induced by MDZ because the drug injection did not impair conditioned aversions to 0.2 M NaCl and 0.01 M HCl. Infusion of MDZ into the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA) also attenuated conditioned aversions to sucrose. These results suggest that systemic or intra-BLA administrations of MDZ impair the expression of CTA selectively to sweet-tasting substances, implying that a transient MDZ-induced CTA expression deficit is due to the enhancement of palatability of CSs with preferable tastes rather than general anxiolytic or amnesic effects of MDZ.     

Effect of selective gastric vagotomy on gustatory behavior in rats

Gustatory responses were investigated in sham vagotomized (SVgX) and selective gastric vagotomized (VgX) male rats by 1-h single-bottle tests using 3% sucrose, 13% glucose, 0.2% saccharin, 0.9% sodium chloride, 0.16% citric acid, 0.001% quinine sulphate and tap water as test solutions. The intakes of sucrose, glucose, saccharin and sodium chloride were significantly less in VgX rats, compared to SVgX ones. When all these rats were exposed to graded concentrations of sucrose (0.1%, 0.5%, 1% and 5%), a maximum preference was shown to 5% and the least to 0.1% sucrose by both SVgX and VgX rats, even though the VgX rats consumed less than SVgX ones. Vagotomy produced a maximum suppression of 5% sucrose intake, a moderate suppression of 1% and 0.5% sucrose intake and no significant change in the intake of 0.1% sucrose. The results also indicated a probable reduction in the ability of VgX rats to discriminate taste intensities within a close range. Pharmacological blocking of vagal efferents with atropine methyl nitrate (5 mg/kg) did not produce any significant change in the intakes. The possibility of an excitatory input through the gastric vagal afferents selectively influencing the intake of sapid substances is suggested.     

Intake inhibition by NPY and CCK-8: A challenge of the notion of NPY as an "Orexigen"

We tested the hypothesis that neuropeptide Y (NPY) interacts with cholecystokinin octapeptide (CCK-8) in inhibition of intake of an intraorally infused solution of sucrose, a test of consummatory ingestive behavior. Both intracerebroventricular infusion of NPY (10 microg) and intraperitoneal injection of CCK-8 (0.5 micro/kg) reduced the intake of a 1M solution of sucrose infused intraorally at a rate of 0.5 ml/min in ovariectomized female rats, but the two peptides did not interact in inhibiting intraoral intake. By contrast, NPY increased intake if the sucrose solution was ingested from a bottle, a test demanding both appetitive and consummatory ingestive responses. CCK-8 inhibited intake in this test and its inhibitory effect was increased by simultaneous treatment with NPY. The activity in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS), a brainstem relay mediating inhibition of intake, judged by the expression of c-fos-like immunoreactivity, was significantly increased after treatment with CCK-8 or NPY to approximately the same extent. Combined treatment with NPY and CCK-8 did not increase the c-fos-like immunoreactivity in the NTS above treatment with NPY or CCK-8 alone. These results strengthen the hypothesis that NPY, like CCK-8, is an inhibitor of consummatory ingestive behavior and suggest that this inhibition is mediated via the NTS.     

Oxytocin null mice ingest enhanced amounts of sweet solutions during light and dark cycles and during repeated shaker stress

Central oxytocin (OT) pathways appear to limit consumption of sweet solutions. Male and female C57BL/6 mice that lack the gene for oxytocin (OT KO mice) displayed an initial and sustained enhanced intake of sucrose solution over water compared to wild type (WT) mice when the solutions were presented as a two-bottle choice [Amico JA, Vollmer RR, Cai HM, Miedlar JA, Rinaman R. Enhanced initial and sustained intake of sucrose solution in mice with an oxytocin gene deletion. Am J Physiol: Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2005;289:R1798-806]. In this study we examined the ingestion of a non-nutritive sweetener, 0.2% saccharin in sucrose-experienced OT KO and WT mice given a two-bottle choice between saccharin solution and water available ad libitum for 4 days. Compared to WT mice, OT KO mice consumed significantly greater volumes of saccharin solution during the dark and light photoperiods on the first day and subsequent days of the study. The results were replicated when the experiment was repeated in the same animals. In another experiment, we determined that daily exposure to platform shaker stress did not alter the marked sucrose consumption in OT KO mice. OT KO mice drank significantly more sucrose than WT mice during periods of stress and non-stress. We conclude that the avid consumption of sweetened solutions by OT KO mice is not restricted to a single photoperiod, occurs independent of caloric content of the sweetened solution, and is not altered by exposure to the daily stress of platform shaker. The cumulative results from our studies of sucrose and saccharin ingestion in OT KO and WT male and female mice suggest a special role for sweet taste in the recruitment of OT neurons.     

Oxytocin Release from the Neurohypophysis after the Taste Stimuli Previously Paired with Intravenous Cholecystokinin in Anaesthetized Rats

Intravenously administered cholecystokinin octapeptide (CCK) induces oxytocin release from the neurohypophysis in anaesthetised rats. Memory of conditioned taste aversion can be acquired under anaesthesia. The present experiments aimed at investigating whether taste stimuli previously paired with iv CCK evoke oxytocin release from the neurohypophysis in urethane-anaesthetised male rats. Sucrose solution (0.75–2.0 M) paired with iv CCK or the vehicle was applied to the tongue. After 3 h, sucrose solution was applied again. The second sucrose slightly increased plasma oxytocin concentration in rats that had received the first sucrose solution paired with the vehicle. Plasma oxytocin concentration after the second sucrose application, however, was significantly higher in CCK-injected than in vehicle-injected rats. In rats that received CCK 1 h before the first sucrose application, a second sucrose application did not produce the oxytocin response. The magnitude of the oxytocin response to the second sucrose solution was increased in a manner related to CCK doses. In separate experiments, NaCl solution (0.75 M) paired with CCK or the vehicle was applied to the tongue. The second NaCl solution applied 3 h after the first one facilitated oxytocin release both in the rats that had received CCK or the vehicle. The increase in plasma oxytocin, however, was significantly larger in CCK than in vehicle-injected rats. In rats that had received the first sucrose solution paired with CCK, a second sucrose solution evoked a significantly larger increase in plasma oxytocin concentrations than a testing NaCl solution did. In rats that had received NaCl solution paired with CCK, a testing sucrose solution did not significantly change plasma oxytocin concentrations. These data suggest that the taste stimulus previously paired with iv CCK induces oxytocin release from the neurohypophysis in urethane-anaesthetised rats.     

Simultaneous display of sexual and ingestive behaviour by rats

Intraoral infusion of sucrose activates consummatory ingestive behaviour in rats selectively, i.e. the rat only emits the responses used to ingest food. Activation of consummatory ingestive behaviour in this way had no effect on the subsequent display of sexual behaviour by male or female rats and vice versa. Rats infused intraorally with sucrose and presented with a sexual partner showed ingestive and sexual behaviour simultaneously. Pretreatment with cholecystokinin octapeptide inhibited the ingestion of sucrose in both males and females but had no effect on the simultaneous display of sexual behaviour. Ingestion of sucrose from a drinking spout, a test in which the rat has to emit responses to obtain food, i.e. show appetitive ingestive behaviour, was inhibited by the presentation of a sexual partner in rats of both sexes. These results show that the mechanisms controlling consummatory sexual and ingestive behaviour operate independently and that the presentation of a sexual partner inhibits appetitive ingestive behaviour. Daily intraoral infusion of sucrose reduced pellet intake in ovariectomized rats while the rats maintained their body weight. Implantation of an oestradiol-filled implant reduced body weight and inhibited daily intake of pellets but had no effect on the intake of intraorally administered sucrose. Subsequent removal of the oestradiol implant increased sucrose intake and body weight but did not have a marked effect on pellet intake. Thus, rats respond to a lowering of the set point for body weight by decreasing their intake of the least preferable kind of food and increase their intake of the most preferable kind of food in response to an elevation of the set point for body weight. Ovariectomized rats infused intraorally once daily with a highly nutritive milk diet in the absence of food pellets ingested very large amounts and reduced their intake in response to oestradiol implantation. Thus, although oestradiol can inhibit consummatory ingestive behaviour, its suppressive effect on ingestion cannot be described in terms of selective effects on appetitive and/or consummatory aspects of the behaviour nor in terms of an alteration in the preference for a sweet solution. Inhibition of ingestive behaviour occurred within 24 h after oestrogen treatment as opposed to stimulation of sexual behaviour which had a longer latency, suggesting that oestradiol affects ingestive and sexual behaviour via different mechanisms. While the mechanisms controlling consummatory ingestive and sexual behaviour must be different, there is evidence for a common mechanism mediating the incentive motivation and reward aspects of these behaviours. The mechanisms which enable rats to select between two, possibly equally rewarding courses of action, i.e. display of sexual or ingestive responses, however, are unknown.     

CCK-8 can inhibit ingestive behavior by acting on the liver

The possibility that cholecystokinin octapeptide (CCK-8) can inhibit ingestive behavior by acting on the liver was investigated. Male rats were trained to ingest an intraorally infused 1 M solution of sucrose and then injected with 10 microg CCK-8/kg. Intraperitoneal or hepatic portal vein, but not jugular vein, injection suppressed intake of the sucrose solution. Intraperitoneal injection was more potent than hepatic portal vein injection. Inhibition by hepatic portal vein injection was blocked by i.p. injection of 80 microg/kg of the CCK-A receptor antagonist L-364,718 or by hepatic vagotomy. The results support the hypothesis that CCK-8 can inhibit ingestive behavior via a hormonal action on the liver.     

Aversive taste stimuli facilitate extracellular acetylcholine release in the insular gustatory cortex of the rat: a microdialysis study

The release of extracellular acetylcholine (ACh) in the insular gustatory cortex of conscious rats during taste stimulation was measured using the microdialysis technique. The mean basal release of ACh before stimulation was 273 ± 21 fmol/10 μl (mean ± S.E.M., n = 25). Intraorally applied taste stimuli or distilled water significantly increased the release of ACh. Among them, infusion of 0.001 M quinine HCl produced a marked increase in the release of ACh up to 355% of baseline levels. Infusion of 0.01 M saccharin to the subjects that had acquired an aversion to this taste also caused a prominent increase in ACh up to 343% of basal levels. In contrast, saccharin infusion to the naive subjects moderately increased ACh up to 243% of baseline. Water infusion resulted in the smallest increase in ACh up to 175% of baseline. Although intraoral infusions of quinine or distilled water caused a significant increase in ACh in the parietal cortex, the magnitude of increased ACh was smaller than that in the gustatory cortex. These results suggest that ACh release in the insular gustatory cortex is related to behavioral expression to aversive taste stimuli.     

Role of the central amygdaloid nucleus in shaping the discharge of gustatory neurons in the rat parabrachial nucleus

The central amygdaloid nucleus (CeA) receives projection from the parabrachial nucleus (PBN) gustatory neurons and descendingly projects to the PBN. To assess if the CeA is involved in modulating the activity of gustatory neurons in the PBN, the effects of electrical stimulation and electrolytic lesion of CeA on PBN gustatory neurons were observed. Of 60 neurons observed, 30 were classified as NaCl-best, 18 as HCl-best, 5 as Quinine HCl (QHCl)-best, and 7 as sucrose-best. During CeA stimulation, the responses to at least one effective stimulus were inhibited in most PBN neurons, with the response magnitudes to HCl and QHCl significantly decreased (P<0.01). In contrast, bilateral lesions of CeA facilitated the responses to HCl and QHCl (P<0.01). According to the best-stimulus category, the effects on the responses to HCl and QHCl were similarly subjected to these modulations either during electrical stimulation or after electrolytic lesions of CeA. Analyses of across-unit patterns indicated that the CeA stimulation increased the chemical selection of PBN taste neurons while the CeA lesions depressed the effect on the chemical selection between NaCl and QHCl. These findings suggest that the CeA may be involved in mediating feeding behavior via modulating the activity of gustatory neurons of PBN.     

The effects of lipopolysaccharide and lithium chloride on the ingestion of a bitter-sweet taste: comparing intake and palatability

Activation of the immune system with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) has been shown to result in decreased consumption of normally preferred substances while at the same time not affecting palatability. The present study examined the effects LPS administration on both intake and palatability of a relatively unpalatable bitter-sweet taste. Bitter is thought to signal a danger cue to an animal representing a potential toxin-containing food. Using a one-bottle consumption test, voluntary intake of a sucrose-quinine (0.15 M sucrose + 0.00015 M quinine; S-Q) solution was assessed in rats on two conditioning days (days 1 and 4) after a systemic injection with LPS, LiCl, or NaCl. On the test day (day 7), rats were given 1h access to the same solution in the absence of any injection. In a separate experiment, rats fitted with intraoral cannulae received similar testing schedules, however, the solution was delivered intraorally, activating only the consummatory responses of the animal. During conditioning, rats received 5 brief (1 min) intraoral infusions of the taste across a 1h period following injections of LPS, LiCl or NaCl. Individual taste reactivity responses were recorded and analyzed. Both LPS and LiCl resulted in decreased consumption of the unpalatable taste relative to controls on the test day, suggesting typical conditioned taste avoidance. When the consummatory responses were examined, LPS-treatment produced an increase in active oral rejection relative to NaCl- and LiCl-treated groups on both conditioning days. The present study demonstrates that although both LPS- and LiCl-treatment result in similar conditioned avoidance using an intake measure, they do not elicit similar patterns of taste reactivity responding to intraoral infusions of the bitter-sweet taste. Furthermore, the present results suggest that immune activation with LPS-treatment results in increased rejection of a mildly aversive stimulus and supports the hypothesis that reorganization of behavioral priorities occurs during bacteria-induced sickness.