IMMEDIATE ACCEPTANCE OF MINERALS AND HCL BY CALCIUM-DEPRIVED RATS - BRIEF EXPOSURE TESTS

We conducted two experiments to test the hypothesis that calcium consu mption by calcium-deprived rats is unlearned and guided by oral cues. In experiment 1, we gave 23.5-h water-deprived control and calcium-dep rived rats 30-min tests with water and various taste solutions. Relati ve to controls, calcium-deprived rats licked significantly less water and more 300 mM Ca lactate in the first minute, more 50 mM HCl and 125 mM HCl in the first 10 min, and more 75 mM CaCl2, 150 mM CaCl2, and 3 00 mM CaCl2 by the end of the 30-min session. There was no difference between the groups at any time in lick rates for sodium solutions, qui nine hydrochloride, sucrose octaacetate, or saccharin. In experiment 2 , we gave 23-h water-deprived control, calcium-deprived, and sodium-de prived rats 10-min tests. During the first minute, calcium-deprived ra ts licked more than did control and sodium-deprived rats for 100 mM Ca Cl2, 100 mM FeCl2, and 20 mM Pb acetate. Sodium-deprived rats licked m ore than did control and calcium-deprived rats for 600 mM NaCl and les s than did controls for 200 mM L-histidine. At the end of the 10-min s ession, sodium-deprived rats had higher lick rates for 100 mM FeCl2 th an did control rats. There were no differences between the groups in l ick rates for 1 mM quinine hydrochloride, 100 mM SrCl2, or 20 mM citri c acid. The results suggest that calcium-deprived rats use innate oral factors to guide consumption of calcium and other solutions.