ODOR DETECTION PERFORMANCE IN HYPOTHYROID AND EUTHYROID RATS

The influence of hypothyroidism on the odor detection ability of male Long-Evans rats was determined using high-precision olfactometry and a go/no-go operant task. Nonparametric signal detection measures of sen sitivity and responsitivity, as well as measures of S + response laten cy, the number of aborted trials, and session time were obtained in da ily 200-trial test sessions prior to, during, and after 50 days of mai ntenance on 0.1% propylthiouracil (PTU). Similar determinations were m ade in control animals. Neither odor detection nor associated nonsenso ry performance measures were influenced by hypothyroidism. These resul ts suggest that PTU-induced hypothyroidism does not affect the odor de tection performance of rats.