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Parabrachial nuclei damage in infant rats produces residual deficits in gustatory preferences/aversions and sodium appetite
Author(s) -
Hill David L.,
Almli C. Robert
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
developmental psychobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.055
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1098-2302
pISSN - 0012-1630
DOI - 10.1002/dev.420160608
Subject(s) - appetite , taste aversion , parabrachial nucleus , saccharin , weanling , endocrinology , medicine , thirst , weaning , sodium , taste , pons , psychology , chemistry , physiology , central nervous system , food science , organic chemistry
Ten‐day‐old rats sustained bilateral electrolytic lesions of the parabrachial nuclei in the pons (PBN). Growth measures and tests of sensorimotor, feeding and drinking behaviors, sodium appetite, and gustatory capacities were made between age 1 and 150 days. PBN rats displayed a transient period of attentuated suckling, as evidenced by body weight loss. When tested soon after weaning, PBN rats were hyperdipsic in response to cellular dehydration and during food deprivation. This effect, however, was temporary. When tested as adults, PBN rats were hypodipsic in response to extracellular fluid volume depletion, they displayed alterations in sodium appetite, showed “exaggerated” preferences and aversions to saccharin and NaCl solutions, and they displayed attentuated quinine aversions. These results are generally similar to the behaviors of rats sustaining more central gustatory pathway lesions as adults. The functional significance of the PBN in the developing rat for preference/aversion and sodium appetite behaviors are discussed.