Odor-cued taste avoidance: A simple and efficient method for assessing olfactory detection, discrimination and memory in the rat

Darling, Frances M.C.; Slotnick, Burton M.

doi:10.1016/0031-9384(94)90065-5

Cited by 30 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 12 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In both flies and mammals, bitter-tasting quinine is a potent inducer of aversive taste memory [2, 5, 6]. Applying fructose solution to the tarsi (feet) of a starved, tethered fly induces the Proboscis Extension Reflex (PER), a robust feeding behavior [2, 7].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Dopamine-Modulated Neural Circuit Regulating Aversive Taste Memory in Drosophila

et al. 2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Summary Taste memories allow animals to modulate feeding behavior in accordance with past experience and avoid the consumption of potentially harmful food [1]. We have developed a single-fly taste memory assay to functionally interrogate the neural circuitry encoding taste memories [2]. Here, we screen a collection of Split-GAL4 lines that label small populations of neurons associated with the fly memory center - the mushroom bodies (MB) [3]. Genetic silencing of PPL1 dopamine neurons disrupts conditioned, but not naïve feeding behavior, suggesting these neurons are selectively involved in the conditioned taste response. We identify two PPL1 subpopulations that innervate the MB α lobe and are essential for aversive taste memory. Thermogenetic activation of these dopamine neurons during training induces memory, indicating these neurons are sufficient for the reinforcing properties of bitter tastant to the MBs. Silencing of either the intrinsic MB neurons, or the output neurons from the α lobe, disrupts taste conditioning. Thermogenetic manipulation of these output neurons alters naïve feeding response, suggesting that dopamine neurons modulate the threshold of response to appetitive tastants. Taken together, these findings detail a neural mechanism underlying the formation of taste memory and provide a functional model for dopamine-dependent plasticity in Drosophila.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Dopamine-Modulated Neural Circuit Regulating Aversive Taste Memory in Drosophila

et al. 2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The results of other studies have demonstrated that rats may learn a strategy or rule that allows for the solution of novel problems when olfactory cues are used as discriminative stimuli (Slotnick, Hanford, & Hodos, 2000). Finally, olfactory cues have also been successfully used as cues for place avoidance (Darling & Slotnick;Slotnick, 1993). Data from Slotnick (1993) showed that rats quickly learned to avoid licking a drinking tube that contained an odorant, but continued to lick the odor-free tube.…”

Section: Please Scroll Down For Articlementioning

confidence: 99%

Fox Urine as an Aversive Stimulus: Modification of a Passive Avoidance Task

Farmer-Dougan

Chandrashekar

Stutzman

et al. 2005

The Journal of General Psychology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Predator urine, specifically fox urine, is a noxious but harmless olfactory stimulus. The results of previous studies have shown that fox urine is aversive to rats, and that rats react to fox urine in a similar manner as to other psychostressors. In the present study, the authors further investigated the use of fox urine as an aversive or stressful stimulus, specifically examining behavior change in open-field place-preference task. Three methods of presenting the fox urine were examined. Results indicated that fox urine decreased behavior, especially locomotion, during both fox-urine presentation and during a post-fox-urine recovery session. Data suggested that (a) there were fewer ambulatory episodes and less distance was traveled during the presentation of fox urine, regardless of presentation method, and (b) there were fewer vertical movements during fox-urine presentation when a fox-urine-laced cotton ball was set in the wood shavings than when it was placed on a bare floor or in a cup. The data suggested that fox urine may be an effective but nonharmful stimulus alternative for use in avoidance tasks.

show abstract

“…It allows the discrimination of edible from non-edible items because the latter have usually a bitter taste (Yamamoto et al, 1994;Scott, 2004;Reilly and Schachtman, 2008;Yarmolinsky et al, 2009). Animals rapidly learn to avoid bitter substances and, as a consequence, numerous learning protocols use aversive tastes as reinforcers to promote robust learning and memory (Darling and Slotnick, 1994;Laska and Metzker, 1998;Ito et al, 1999;Gerber and Hendel, 2006;Kemenes et al, 2011;Salloum et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Learning context modulates aversive taste strength in honey bees

Sanchez

Serre

Avarguès‐Weber

et al. 2015

Journal of Experimental Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The capacity of honey bees (Apis mellifera) to detect bitter substances is controversial because they ingest without reluctance different kinds of bitter solutions in the laboratory, whereas free-flying bees avoid them in visual discrimination tasks. Here, we asked whether the gustatory perception of bees changes with the behavioral context so that tastes that are less effective as negative reinforcements in a given context become more effective in a different context. We trained bees to discriminate an odorant paired with 1 mol l −1 sucrose solution from another odorant paired with either distilled water, 3 mol l −1 NaCl or 60 mmol l −1 quinine. Training was either Pavlovian [olfactory conditioning of the proboscis extension reflex (PER) in harnessed bees], or mainly operant (olfactory conditioning of free-walking bees in a Y-maze). PER-trained and maze-trained bees were subsequently tested both in their original context and in the alternative context. Whereas PER-trained bees transferred their choice to the Y-maze situation, Y-maze-trained bees did not respond with a PER to odors when subsequently harnessed. In both conditioning protocols, NaCl and distilled water were the strongest and the weakest aversive reinforcement, respectively. A significant variation was found for quinine, which had an intermediate aversive effect in PER conditioning but a more powerful effect in the Y-maze, similar to that of NaCl. These results thus show that the aversive strength of quinine varies with the learning context, and reveal the plasticity of the bee's gustatory system. We discuss the experimental constraints of both learning contexts and focus on stress as a key modulator of taste in the honey bee. Further explorations of bee taste are proposed to understand the physiology of taste modulation in bees.

show abstract

Odor-cued taste avoidance: A simple and efficient method for assessing olfactory detection, discrimination and memory in the rat

Cited by 30 publications

References 12 publications

A Dopamine-Modulated Neural Circuit Regulating Aversive Taste Memory in Drosophila

A Dopamine-Modulated Neural Circuit Regulating Aversive Taste Memory in Drosophila

Fox Urine as an Aversive Stimulus: Modification of a Passive Avoidance Task

Learning context modulates aversive taste strength in honey bees

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About