AJP - Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, Vol 264, Issue 2 319-R323, Copyright © 1993 by American Physiological Society

ARTICLES

Chorda tympani section decreases the cation specificity of depletion-induced sodium appetite in rats

P. A. Breslin, A. C. Spector and H. J. Grill
Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104.

Rats depleted of sodium by diuretic treatment were tested for their ability to respond selectively to NaCl after chorda tympani nerve (CTn) section (CTX). A variety of chloride salts (NaCl, KCl, NH4Cl, CaCl2) at two concentrations (0.05 and 0.3 M) were presented semirandomly to sodium-deplete rats in repeated single-stimulus trials (10 s). The responses of sodium-depleted surgical control rats (n = 8) were highly cation specific. These rats licked substantially more for both sodium stimuli than for any other chloride salt. On the other hand, the licking responses of CTX sodium-depleted rats (n = 8) were less cation selective. These rats licked NaCl and 0.05 M KCl at comparable rates. For both NaCl concentrations, CTX rats had significantly lower lick rates than controls. In addition, the difference between the lick rate for NaCl and that for the other salts was much greater for control rats than for CTX rats. Although CTn section did not entirely eliminate the high levels of responsivity to NaCl observed in the intact sodium-depleted rat, it did substantially compromise the selectivity of the behavior, which suggests that the input of the CTn is critical for taste-guided sodium specific behaviors.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				L. C. Geran, M. Garcea, and A. C. Spector Transecting the gustatory branches of the facial nerve impairs NH4Cl vs. KCl discrimination in rats Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol, September 1, 2002; 283(3): R739 - R747. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. I. Glendinning, J. Gresack, and A. C. Spector A High-throughput Screening Procedure for Identifying Mice with Aberrant Taste and Oromotor Function Chem Senses, June 1, 2002; 27(5): 461 - 474. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. F. Lundy Jr. and R. Norgren Pontine Gustatory Activity Is Altered by Electrical Stimulation in the Central Nucleus of the Amygdala J Neurophysiol, February 1, 2001; 85(2): 770 - 783. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. D. Brot, C. H. Watson, and I. L. Bernstein Amiloride-sensitive signals and NaCl preference and appetite: a lick-rate analysis Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol, October 1, 2000; 279(4): R1403 - R1411. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. L. Kopka, L. C. Geran, and A. C. Spector Functional status of the regenerated chorda tympani nerve as assessed in a salt taste discrimination task Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol, March 1, 2000; 278(3): R720 - R731. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Markison, D. W. Gietzen, and A. C. Spector Essential Amino Acid Deficiency Enhances Long-Term Intake but Not Short-Term Licking of the Required Nutrient J. Nutr., August 1, 1999; 129(8): 1604 - 1612. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				M. F. Roitman and I. L. Bernstein Amiloride-sensitive sodium signals and salt appetite: multiple gustatory pathways Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol, June 1, 1999; 276(6): R1732 - R1738. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. J. St. John and A. C. Spector Behavioral Discrimination between Quinine and KCl Is Dependent on Input from the Seventh Cranial Nerve: Implications for the Functional Roles of the Gustatory Nerves in Rats J. Neurosci., June 1, 1998; 18(11): 4353 - 4362. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. F. Lundy Jr., D. W. Pittman, and R. J. Contreras Role for epithelial Na+ channels and putative Na+/H+ exchangers in salt taste transduction in rats Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol, December 1, 1997; 273(6): R1923 - R1931. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]