The effect of emotionality on the water intake of the rat.

Abstract

Food and water[long dash]to which ad lib. access was permitted at all other times[long dash]were denied 2 groups of 20 male albino rats for 4 hrs. before the exptl. period (8-11 p.m.). At this time the animals of the exptl. group were individually made emotional by confinement for about 45 sec. in a small cage of which floor and sides were electrified by an induc-torium. Immediately after shocking, each animal in the exptl. group was returned to home cage where water was available in a calibrated tube, at the same time water was similarly made available to a control animal. Two hrs. later ([plus or minus] 2 min.) total water intake for the interval was detd. for each of the 40 animals. The excited group ingested nearly 5 times as much water in the interval (mean, 1.45 ml.) as the control group (mean, 0.3 ml.), though less than half the animals in either group took any water. The statistically significant difference is discussed in the light of localized and general systemic theories of the mechanism of thirst. It is concluded that emotional states induce thirst in the rat.