CONDITIONED TASTE-AVERSION INDUCED BY FLUOXETINE

The present study assessed the ability of the serotonin reuptake inhib itor fluoxetine (FLX) and lithium chloride (LiCl) to induce conditione d taste aversion (CTA) to a novel 20% sucrose solution. FLX (2, 5, or 8 mg/kg) or LiCl (10 mg/kg) was administered 30 min after an initial e xposure to the solution. A single-bottle test of CTA 24 h after the in itial exposure indicated that rats that received FLX, at any dose, or LiCl consumed significantly less solution than did those that received a vehicle treatment following the initial exposure. To examine the po ssibility that decreased consumption during the CTA test exposure was associated with lasting hypophagia and/or hypodipsia induced by FLX, s eparate groups of rats, without any prior exposure to the solution, we re administered FLX (2, 5, or 8 mg/kg) and given access 24 h later to a 20% sucrose solution. FLX failed to suppress consumption of the solu tion at any dose. These data suggest that FLX induces an aversive drug state in rats, similar to that induced by LiCl, which serves as a pot ent conditioned stimulus in CTA. In addition, this CTA is independent of FLX-induced hypophagia and/or hypodipsia. The relevance of these re sults to the study of hypophagia induced by FLX administration is disc ussed.