Amygdalectomy induced deficits in conditioned taste aversion: possible pituitary-adrenal involvement

Bilateral lesions to the amygdala in rats impaired a conditioned taste aversion produced by pairing the taste of sweetened milk with lithium chloride (Experiment 1). A second experiment investigated the role of adrencorticotropin (ACTH) in the amygdala lesion-induced deficits in conditioned taste aversion. ACTH injection on the day of conditioning was without effect in either sham or amygdala lesioned animals. ACTH injection on the day of testing was without an effect in sham animals. However, ACTH injection augmented the avoidance behavior of amygdala lesioned subjects (Experiment 2). These data suggest a pituitary-adrenal involvement in the amygdalectomy-induced deficits in conditioned taste aversion.