TIME-DEPENDENT EXACERBATION OF AMPHETAMINE-INDUCED TASTE-AVERSIONS FOLLOWING EXPOSURE TO FOOTSHOCK

Previous studies have shown that stressors attenuate LiCl-induced cond itioned taste aversions (CTA) but not morphine-induced CTA. The curren t studies examined the effects of footshock on the acquisition and ext inction of amphetamine-induced CTA. Experiment 1 demonstrated that exp osure to 30 footshocks between saccharin consumption and amphetamine i njections did not alter either the acquisition or the extinction of am phetamine-CTA. Experiment 2 demonstrated that exposure to the same sho ck parameters 2 and 4 days before saccharin-amphetamine pairing increa sed the magnitude of amphetamine-CTA after one saccharin-amphetamine p airing and delayed the recovery from the CTA. Experiment 2 also demons trated that footshock increased the initial neophobic response to nove l saccharin but did not alter subsequent saccharin consumption among s aline-injected animals. These results indicate that stress-induced fac ilitation of amphetamine CTA are time-dependent and contrast with repo rts that stressors attenuate LiCl CTA. They also add support to the co ntention that CTAs induced by self-administered drugs like amphetamine are qualitatively different from CTAs induced by toxic substances lik e LICL.