Taste Responses to Mixtures: Analytic Processing of Quality

• Published in: Behavioral neuroscience 2003-04, Vol.117 (2), p.228-235
• Main Authors: Frank, Marion E, Formaker, Bradley K, Hettinger, Thomas P
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analysis of Variance; Animal behavior; Animals; Avoidance Learning - drug effects; Avoidance Learning - physiology; Behavior, Animal; Biological and medical sciences; Conditioning (Psychology) - drug effects; Conditioning (Psychology) - physiology; Cricetinae; Discrimination Learning - physiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Generalization (Psychology); Inhibition (Psychology); Lithium Chloride - pharmacology; Male; Neurology; Olfactory system and olfaction. Gustatory system and gustation; Quinine - pharmacology; Rodents; Salt; Sodium Chloride - pharmacology; Sucrose - pharmacology; Taste - drug effects; Taste - physiology; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs
• ISSN: 0735-7044; 1939-0084
• DOI: 10.1037/0735-7044.117.2.228

The tastes of 100 mM sodium chloride (NaCl), 100 mM sucrose, and 1 mM quinine hydrochloride in mixtures were investigated in golden hamsters ( Mesocricetus auratus ) with a conditioned taste aversion (CTA) paradigm. CTAs, established in golden hamsters by injection of lithium chloride, were quantified as percent suppression of control 1-hr stimulus intake. CTAs for 10 of 15 stimulus pairs with common components symmetrically cross-generalized, suggesting that component qualities were recognized in binary and ternary mixtures. However, CTAs to quinine were hardly learned and were weakly expressed when quinine was mixed with NaCl, and generalizations from multiple to single stimuli were stronger than vice versa (i.e., asymmetric). The behaviors reflect peripheral inhibition and/or central mixture suppression. Nonetheless, components retain their distinct qualities in mixtures, suggesting that taste processing is analytic.