In three experiments, rats received injections of lithium chloride (LiCl) b
efore being exposed to a distinctive context. In a subsequent test, rats gi
ven access to sucrose solution in this context consumed less than control s
ubjects given sucrose in another context that had been paired with a saline
injection (Experiment 1), or was quite novel (Experiment 2). Experiment 3
demonstrated that a context that had been associated with LiCl would serve
to block the acquisition of a conditioned flavor aversion when it was prese
nted immediately after the injection on a flavor-LiCl trial. These results
show that a procedure in which rats experience the adverse effects of a lit
hium injection in the presence of contextual cues is effective in endowing
those cues with aversive properties. It is argued that the context evokes a
state of conditioned nausea, and the parallel with the clinical phenomenon
of anticipatory nausea and vomiting (ANV) in human patients is outlined. (
C) 2000 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.