Lithium Chloride Taste Aversion Conditioning, Research Paper Example

Abstract

In the experimental model, subsequent to the rodents ingesting the saccharin solution, lithium chloride was injected into some of the subjects. The outcome of the lithium chloride injections was that the rodents become mildly ill for several hours. The rodents which participated as members of the control group were administered sodium chloride instead of lithium chloride. The condition taste aversion was applied as a category of associative learning which incorporated a modification as a reaction to the stimulus subsequent to associating the stimulus with a different effect. Conditioned associative learning was applied as a classification of Pavlovian conditioning. The perspectives of Garcia et al. (1955), Misanin & Hinderliter (1994), Nicolaus et al. (1983) and Welzl et al. (2001) were accessed in the research.

Lithium Chloride Taste Aversion Conditioning

Studies that have recently been conducted with regards to rodent reactions and age distinctions have demonstrated the rodents learn to distinguish the food. It has been observed that after a dosage of lithium chloride is provided to elderly, youthful adult and weaning rodents subsequent to being exposed for an interval of ten minutes to a new sucrose solution that only the elderly aged rodents demonstrated the desire to avoid the new nutritional substance (Garcia et al., 1955; Misanin & Hinderliter, 1994).  In this experiment, it was examined if the short term expression of controlled taste aversion has in common with the longer term conditioned taste aversion pertained to the well delineated qualities of taste specificity with regards to the taste that has been conditioned and learned experiential well-being. . This is manifested by the diminished connection of a toxic outcome as a consequence of the nontoxic episode with the taste that had been conditioned (Garcia et al., 1955; Misanin & Hinderliter, 1994).

A classification of associative learning that is applied is known as conditioned taste aversion. In positioned taste aversion, the animal acquires experiential learning with regards to exercising avoidance and rejection of specific foods subsequent to the food being coupled with an uncomfortable outcome (Nicolaus et al., 1983: Welzl et al., 2001). The animal may ingest a novel category of food which has a different taste.  The rodents were subjected to with lithium chloride for the lithium chloride group. The rodents ingest the food in a manner similar to other animals and become ill afterward. The rodent will learn to associate the taste with the perception of malaise. Consequently, in the next episodes where the food is presented to the rodent, the rodent will practice avoidance or ingest smaller amounts. This paradigm was applied to lithium chloride. The rodents quickly ingest a sweetened sucrose solution in a manner similar to other species during the initial tasting (Nicolaus et al., 1983: Welzl et al., 2001).

Methodology

The experiment which was performed applied a 2 x 2 factorial paradigm. The first independent variable was delineated as the US (unconditioned stimulus) of sodium chloride compared to lithium chloride. The second independent variable that was applied is the intervals of conditioned stimulus unconditioned stimulus temporal intervals. The temporal intervals were measured from ten minutes to sixty minutes. The second independent variable pertains to the temporal interval between when the respondents were subjected to the CS (conditioning stimulus)   and when the respondents were subjected to the US (unconditioned stimulus) upon being administered the sodium chloride or the lithium chloride solutions. There had been forty rodent respondents. Nineteen of the rodent respondents were applied to the control group. The members of the control group were administered sodium chloride. The twenty- one members of the experimental group were administered the lithium chloride solution (Misanin & Hinderliter, 1994).

Experimental Materials and Procedure

Twenty- one female rodents which had been at each of the developmental stages which included ages of weaning, three months  and two years were seated into three groups which were composed of seven respondents each which were treated distinctively during the course of the experiment. The rodents were only exposed to the confines of the university laboratory. The rodents were provided availability to food and water consistently with the exception of the saccharin solution drinking sessions which were composed of an hour. The rodents which were in similar stages of development were housed in pairs with the exception of the e3xperimental sessions where the rodents had availability of the saccharin solution (Misanin & Hinderliter, 1994).

The flasks that had one milliliter increments were applied. The rodents were provided nutrition by means of sipping tubes. The sipping tubes were composed of stainless steel with a rubber stopper that had been attached to the top of the flasks. Twenty- one of the rodents which had been deprived of hydration were provided with three session that were composed of one hour each on a daily basis. Sixteen hours subsequent to the final adaptation session, nineteen of the rodents were delegated a solution that was administered with the objective of preconditioning (Misanin & Hinderliter, 1994).

The preconditioning was achieved by means of the administration of a saline solution that had a saturation level of 1.0%. The remaining twenty one rodents were administered a preconditioning solution that possessed a saturation level of 0.15 M LiCL. The injections were maintained at approximately 2.2 ml each. The conditioning process was also conducted by providing the rodents with access to the solution of saccharin with a 0.1 % concentration. The exposure to the oral saccharin solution was sequenced by the injections of saline and LiCl solutions three hours afterward (Misanin & Hinderliter, 1994).

Results

The quantity of water and saccharin ingested during each of the availability times was transformed to a saccharin preference rating which was multiplied by saccharin/ saccharin ± water. . The average preference ratings for the three groups which were assessed at each of the developmental levels is demonstrated in Figure 1. The designed orthogonal evaluations of the comprehensive average preference ratings were performed at the 0.05 index of significance. The evaluations of the youthful adults and the elderly rodents non- paired control groups and the youthful adult and elderly rodents for the zero hour delay CS- US groups had the outcome of no measurable differences (F < 1.33) (Misanin & Hinderliter, 1994).

The evaluation of the three hour delay CS- US groups demonstrated that the elderly rodents manifested a higher level of taste aversion (F< 32.93). The evaluations which were conducted within the age levels demonstrated that the zero hour and the three hour elderly groups were not distinct (F<2.27). The elderly rodents were distinct with regards to the members of the control group (F> 38.0). In comparison, the US- CS delay groups demonstrated substantial differences from one another (F< 33.2 in addition to the characteristics of the control group (F>9.23) (Misanin & Hinderliter, 1994).

Discussion

The outcomes of the empirical study demonstrated that the elderly rodents have a superior taste evasion with regards to the studies of CS- US which were conducted during the three hour intervals. The taste evasion conditioning cannot be credited to an increased dosage of LiCl which translated into a greater uncontrolled stimulus magnitude. The distinction may be attributed to the higher sensitivity possessed by the elderly rates as an outcome of the lower body weight (Garcia et al., 1955; Misanin & Hinderliter, 1994).

Conclusion

Recent studies have demonstrated that conditioned taste aversion has been effectively implemented as a memory model and learning tool in rodents. The application of the conditioned taste aversion model with regards to classical conditioning presents benefits. The benefits are that the learning is established quickly and creates an enduring memory. There are other categories of classical conditioning which have the outcome of creating avoidance to the unconditioned stimulus with regards to taste. The conditioning taste aversion takes place autonomous of the motor characteristics of the respondent. In addition, the CS has the quality of being readily manipulated and the response that is consequent can be precisely assessed.

References

Garcia, J., Kimeldorf, D. J., & Koellino, R. A. (1955). Conditioned aversion to saccharin resulting from exposure to gamma radiation. Science, New Series, 122(3160): 157-158.

Nicolaus, L .K., Cassel, J. F., Carlson, R. B., Gustavson, C. B. (1983). Taste aversion conditioning of crows to control predation on eggs. Science, New Series, 220(4593): 212- 214.

Welzl, H., D’Adamo, P., & Lipp, H-P. (2001). Conditioned taste aversion as a learning and memory paradigm. Behavioral Brain Research, 125: 205- 213.

Misanin, J. R., & Hinderliter, C. F. (1994). Efficacy of lithium chloride in the taste aversion conditioning of young adult and old age rats. Psychological Reports, 75: 267- 271.

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