Conditioned Food Preference of Unfamiliar Food in Female Rats
Project Author
Issue Date
2023-04-05
Authors
Lenahan, Julia L.
Loading...
Embargo
First Reader
Clark, Rodney D.
Additional Readers
Hollerman, Jeffrey R.
Keywords
Distribution
Abstract
In past food aversion studies, with rodent models, a novel food, indicated as a conditioned stimulus (CS) was paired with an unconditioned stimulus (US) like lithium chloride (LiCl). The pairing of a CS and US are utilized to elicit an aversive response. The introduction of the aversive US with the CS, was utilized for rodent models to consume less of the CS in further trials. This research, although pertinent to learning about food aversion, does not look into aversions with familiar foods. Rats exhibit neophobia, the fear of new things, in particular, food. Neophobia is a confounding variable in food aversion research due to the general aversion to novel foods. What happens when a familiar food is paired with an aversive agent like LiCl? Through pairing a familiar food as a CS with an US like LiCl, this experiment investigates if an aversive response to eating familiar food in rodent models can be replicated. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were utilized in this experiment due to lack of using female rats to indicate potential sex differences in past research. Each rat was injected once intraperitoneally (ip) with LiCl, mg/kg was relative to each rodent’s body weight. This injection was administered prior to introduction of the novel food in experimentation. Rats were then monitored in trials with a Y-maze and CPP. Rats' intake of the familiar and novel food were recorded as well as entries into each chamber in the CPP and Y-maze. These trials were conducted several times within a week with only one ip injection in the first trial and following trials were monitored for lasting effects of aversion without US. Results indicate there was reduction in food intake and less entries in the familiar food arms of the Y-maze due to illness from LiCl paired with familiar food.
Description
Collections
Chair
Major
Neuroscience
Psychology
Psychology
Department
Neuroscience
Psychology
Psychology