Effects of hunger and thirst on sensitivity and reactivity to shock.

Abstract

Determined shock detection, 6 aversion thresholds, and amount of activity elicited by inescapable shock for 14 hungry and thirsty Sprague-Dawley rats to investigate how deprivation alters the Ss capability to detect and respond to shock. Both the aversion and the detection thresholds were increased by water deprivation, but food deprivation had no effect on either threshold. Electrode paste restored the thirsty Ss' threshold to normal, suggesting that thirst may alter sensitivity to shock through dehydration of peripheral tissue. Water-deprived Ss were also less reactive to inescapable shock than nondeprived Ss; however, electrode paste augmented rather than eliminated this effect. Neither food nor water deprivation altered the rate at which an avoidance response was acquired. No evidence for summation of aversive and appetitive drives was obtained. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)