Increased c-fos expression in nucleus of the solitary tract correlated with conditioned taste aversion to sucrose in rats

• Published in: Neuroscience letters Vol. 172; no. 1-2; p. 1
• Main Authors: Houpt, T A, Philopena, J M, Wessel, T C, Joh, T H, Smith, G P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ireland 19-05-1994
• Subjects: Animals; Avoidance Learning - drug effects; Avoidance Learning - physiology; Gene Expression - drug effects; Genes, fos - drug effects; Lithium Chloride - pharmacology; Male; Medulla Oblongata - physiology; Rats; Solitary Nucleus - drug effects; Solitary Nucleus - physiology; Sucrose - pharmacology; Taste - drug effects; Taste - physiology
• ISSN: 0304-3940
• DOI: 10.1016/0304-3940(94)90648-3

The pattern of neuronal activation in the rat nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) in response to a standard gustatory stimulus was examined using c-Fos-like immunoreactivity (c-FLI) before and after conditioned taste aversion (CTA) formation. While unconditioned oral infusions of sucrose solution did not induce c-FLI in the NTS, after three pairings of sucrose with lithium chloride injections, sucrose induced c-FLI in the medial intermediate NTS 1 h after oral infusion. Extinction of the CTA by repeated infusions of sucrose alone reversed the induction of c-FLI.