LITHIUM CHLORIDE-INDUCED ANOREXIA, BUT NOT CONDITIONED TASTE-AVERSIONS, IN RATS WITH AREA POSTREMA LESIONS

Area postrema (AP) lesions were produced by vacuum aspiration in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats. Consistent with previous findings, when wat er-deprived rats were allowed to drink novel flavored fluids immediate ly before treatment with LiCl (3 mEq/kg, i.p.), sham-operated and non- operated control rats demonstrated a pronounced aversion to the fluids whereas rats with AP lesions did not decrease fluid consumption signi ficantly. However, in a 30-min test period after overnight food depriv ation, rats with AP lesions reduced food intake significantly and to a n equivalent degree as control animals when pretreated with LiCl (3 mE q/kg, i.p. or i.v.). These and other results are consistent with the t raditional view that AP mediates the sensation of nausea produced by L iCl treatment (hence the loss of conditioned taste aversions after AP lesions), but suggest that neither nausea nor AP is necessary for the marked disinclination to eat that is induced in rats by acute administ ration of LiCl.