Drug exposure and the acquisition and retention of a conditioned taste aversion.

Abstract

The effects of preexposure and postexposure in rats to a drug [LiCl] on the acquisition and retention of a conditioned taste aversion induced by that drug were examined. Although drug preexposure attenuated a subsequent conditioned aversion, repeated taste-drug pairings reversed the initial attenuation effect and resulted in nearly complete avoidance of consumption. Drug postexposure did not alter a previously established conditioned aversion, although the postexposure experiences were effective in attenuating a conditioned aversion to a 2nd novel solution. It was suggested that conditioned aversions are mediated by ACTH, and that preexposure to a drug results in tolerance to that drug, yielding a smaller ACTH response and a weaker aversion.