HABITUATING EFFECTS OF NONHYDRATIONAL ORAL-STIMULATION ON INGESTIVE BEHAVIORS

The role of oral stimulation in the control of ingestive behavior was investigated using an airlicking procedure. It was hypothesized that t he oral experience of airlicking would inhibit subsequent ingestive ac tivity (water intake), possibly via an habituation process as suggeste d by recent research (Swithers, 1996). Rats were implanted with gastri c cannulas and trained to lick at a stream of air. Experimental condit ions consisted of combinations of airlicking and intragastric hydratio n followed by oral intake of water. In support of the main hypothesis, airlicking did reduce subsequent ingestive activity. While the role o f habituation was not tested directly, the results lend support to the proposal that oral stimulation does control ingestion, and this contr ol could act through an habituation process.