The functional relevance of the lateral parabrachial nucleus in lithium chloride-induced aversion learning

Efferent projections of CGRP/Calca-expressing parabrachial neurons in mice

The parabrachial nucleus (PB) is composed of glutamatergic neurons at the midbrain-hindbrain junction. These neurons form many subpopulations, one of which expresses Calca, which encodes the neuropeptide calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). This Calca-expressing subpopulation has been implicated in a variety of homeostatic functions, but the overall distribution of Calca-expressing neurons in this region remains unclear. Also, while previous studies in rats and mice have identified output projections from CGRP-immunoreactive or Calca-expressing neurons, we lack a comprehensive understanding of their efferent projections. We began by identifying neurons with Calca mRNA and CGRP immunoreactivity in and around the PB, including populations in the locus coeruleus and motor trigeminal nucleus. Calca-expressing neurons in the PB prominently express the mu opioid receptor (Oprm1) and are distinct from neighboring neurons that express Foxp2 and Pdyn. Next, we used Cre-dependent anterograde tracing with synaptophysin-mCherry to map the efferent projections of these neurons. Calca-expressing PB neurons heavily target subregions of the amygdala, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, basal forebrain, thalamic intralaminar and ventral posterior parvicellular nuclei, and hindbrain, in different patterns depending on the injection site location within the PB region. Retrograde axonal tracing revealed that the previously unreported hindbrain projections arise from a rostral-ventral subset of CGRP/Calca neurons. Finally, we show that these efferent projections of Calca-expressing neurons are distinct from those of neighboring PB neurons that express Pdyn. This information provides a detailed neuroanatomical framework for interpreting experimental work involving CGRP/Calca-expressing neurons and opioid action in the PB region.

Place preferences induced by electrical stimulation of the external lateral parabrachial subnucleus in a sequential learning task: Place preferences induced by NLPBe stimulation

It is known that electrical stimulation of the external lateral parabrachial nucleus (NLPBe) can sustain concurrent taste and place learning. Place preferences can be learned through different procedures. Previous studies demonstrated that electrical stimulation of the PBNLe can generate aversive and preference place learning using concurrent procedures. In the concurrent procedure, the animals can move freely in the maze, and intracranial electrical stimulation is associated with their voluntary stay in one of the two maze compartments. However, the rewarding properties of most stimuli, whether natural or drugs of abuse, have usually been investigated using the sequential procedure, in which animals are confined while receiving the unconditioned stimulus and then undergo a choice test without stimulation in a later phase. This study examined whether this stimulation can sustain place preference learning in sequential tasks. Results demonstrated that place preferences can also be induced by the electrical stimulation of the NLBe using sequential procedures. These findings suggest that the NLPBe may form part of a brain reward axis that shares certain characteristics with those observed in the processing of natural rewarding agents and especially of drugs of abuse.

The Functional and Neurobiological Properties of Bad Taste

The gustatory system serves as a critical line of defense against ingesting harmful substances. Technological advances have fostered the characterization of peripheral receptors and have created opportunities for more selective manipulations of the nervous system, yet the neurobiological mechanisms underlying taste-based avoidance and aversion remain poorly understood. One conceptual obstacle stems from a lack of recognition that taste signals subserve several behavioral and physiological functions which likely engage partially segregated neural circuits. Moreover, although the gustatory system evolved to respond expediently to broad classes of biologically relevant chemicals, innate repertoires are often not in register with the actual consequences of a food. The mammalian brain exhibits tremendous flexibility; responses to taste can be modified in a specific manner according to bodily needs and the learned consequences of ingestion. Therefore, experimental strategies that distinguish between the functional properties of various taste-guided behaviors and link them to specific neural circuits need to be applied. Given the close relationship between the gustatory and visceroceptive systems, a full reckoning of the neural architecture of bad taste requires an understanding of how these respective sensory signals are integrated in the brain.

Functional brain networks underlying latent inhibition of conditioned disgust in rats

The present experiment examined the neuronal networks involved in the latent inhibition of conditioned disgust by measuring brain oxidative metabolism. Rats were given nonreinforced intraoral (IO) exposure to saccharin (exposed groups) or water (non-exposed groups) followed by a conditioning trial in which the animals received an infusion of saccharin paired (or unpaired) with LiCl. On testing, taste reactivity responses displayed by the rats during the infusion of the saccharin were examined. Behavioral data showed that preexposure to saccharin attenuated the development of LiCl-induced conditioned disgust reactions, indicating that the effects of taste aversion on hedonic taste reactivity had been reduced. With respect to cumulative oxidative metabolic activity across the whole study period, the parabrachial nucleus was the only single region examined which showed differential activity between groups which received saccharin-LiCl pairings with and without prior non-reinforced saccharin exposure, suggesting a key role in the effects of latent inhibition of taste aversion learning. In addition, many functional connections between brain regions were revealed through correlational analysis of metabolic activity, in particular an accumbens-amygdala interaction that may be involved in both positive and negative hedonic responses.

Tolerance to repeated rewarding electrical stimulation of the parabrachial complex

The parabrachial complex has been related to various rewarding behavioral processes. As previously shown, electrical stimulation of the lateral parabrachial external (LPBe) subnucleus induces opiate-dependent concurrent place preference. In this study, two groups of animals (and their respective controls) were subjected to sessions of rewarding brain stimulation daily or on alternate days. The rats stimulated every other day maintained a consistent preference for the place associated with the brain stimulation. However, as also found in the Insular Cortex, there was a progressive decay in the initial place preference of animals receiving daily stimulation. These data suggest that the rewarding effects induced by electrical stimulation of LPBe subnucleus may be subject to tolerance. These findings are discussed with respect to other anatomical areas showing reward decay and to the reinforcing effects induced by various electrical and chemical rewarding agents.

Parabrachial calcitonin gene-related peptide neurons mediate conditioned taste aversion

Conditioned taste aversion (CTA) is a phenomenon in which an individual forms an association between a novel tastant and toxin-induced gastrointestinal malaise. Previous studies showed that the parabrachial nucleus (PBN) contains neurons that are necessary for the acquisition of CTA, but the specific neuronal populations involved are unknown. Previously, we identified calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)-expressing neurons in the external lateral subdivision of the PBN (PBel) as being sufficient to suppress appetite and necessary for the anorexigenic effects of appetite-suppressing substances including lithium chloride (LiCl), a compound often used to induce CTA. Here, we test the hypothesis that PBel CGRP neurons are sufficient and necessary for CTA acquisition in mice. We show that optogenetic activation of these neurons is sufficient to induce CTA in the absence of anorexigenic substances, whereas genetically induced silencing of these neurons attenuates acquisition of CTA upon exposure to LiCl. Together, these results demonstrate that PBel CGRP neurons mediate a gastrointestinal distress signal required to establish CTA.

Fear memory formation can affect a different memory: fear conditioning affects the extinction, but not retrieval, of conditioned taste aversion (CTA) memory

The formation of fear memory to a specific stimulus leads to subsequent fearful response to that stimulus. However, it is not apparent whether the formation of fear memory can affect other memories. We study whether specific fearful experience leading to fear memory affects different memories formation and extinction. We revealed that cued fear conditioning, but not unpaired or naïve training, inhibited the extinction of conditioned taste aversion (CTA) memory that was formed after fear conditioning training in rats. Fear conditioning had no effect on retrieval of CTA memory but specifically impaired its extinction. Extinguished fear memory, after fear extinction training, had no effect on future CTA memory extinction. Fear conditioning had no effect on CTA memory extinction if CTA memory was formed before fear conditioning. Conditioned taste aversion had no effect on fear conditioning memory extinction. We conclude that active cued fear conditioning memory can affect specifically the extinction, but not the formation, of future different memory.

Lesions of the lateral parabrachial area block the aversive component and induced-flavor preference for the delayed intragastric administration of nutrients in rats: Effects on subsequent food and water intake

The aim of this study was to examine the function of the lateral parabrachial area (LPB) in relation to the intragastric administration of nutrients. The consumption of flavors associated with intragastric nutrient administration and the subsequent food and water intake were measured in rats with lesions in the LPB. The results showed that bilateral LPB lesions prevented development of aversions and induced flavor preference when there was a delay between the presentation of a flavor and the intragastric administration of nutrients. However, these lesions did not disrupt development of the aversive process when there was no delay between the presentations. Likewise, the LPB lesions increased subsequent food intake when there was a delay but not when there was no delay between the presentations. In contrast, the water intake was reduced in both situations. These results are interpreted in terms of a dual visceral system for processing the intragastric effects of foods.

Odor-avoidance or odor-preference induced by amphetamine in the infant rat depending on the dose and testing modality

By the second postnatal week of life infant rats can acquire taste avoidance induced by amphetamine. Psychostimulant drugs supports appetitive and aversive learning in adult rats. Their appetitive effects are more likely to become associated with contextual cues, while the aversive ones have been consistently found in taste aversion learning. To explain this paradox, it has been proposed that rats would avoid a taste that predicts a change in their homeostasis because this species cannot vomit. In this study we assessed the motivational properties of amphetamine in preweanling rats by means of an odor conditioning preparation, which enables the analysis of the hedonic value of the memory by means of a consumption test or in terms of locomotor approach to the odor. Results indicate that regardless of the amphetamine dose (1 or 5 mg/kg), when animals were evaluated in the intake test, subjects avoided the odor. However, the outcome in the locomotor avoidance test varied as a function of the amphetamine dose. Rats trained with the low dose (1 mg/kg) showed odor preference, while the highest amphetamine dose (5 mg/kg) induced odor avoidance. When LiCl was employed as an unconditioned stimulus (US), rats showed avoidance in the intake and locomotor activity tests. These data indicate that amphetamine, like other drugs of abuse, supports appetitive conditioning in preweanling rats. Interestingly, infant rats expressed conditioned odor avoidance or preference depending on the dose and testing modality. Results were discussed considering current theories of avoidance learning induced by rewarding drugs.

Dorsomedial pallium lesions impair taste aversion learning in goldfish

The present work shows that the dorsomedial telencephalic pallium of teleost fish, proposed as homologous to the amygdala of mammals, is involved in taste aversion learning (TAL). To analyze the behavioral properties of TAL in goldfish, in Experiment 1, we used a delayed procedure similar to that employed with mammals, which consists of the presentation of two flavors on different days, one followed by lithium chloride and the other by saline, both after a 10-min delay. The results showed that goldfish developed a strong aversion to the gustatory stimulus followed by visceral discomfort and that, as in mammals, this learning was rapidly acquired, highly flexible and maintained for a long time. Experiment 2 showed that dorsomedial pallium lesions and the ablation of the telencephalic lobes impaired the acquisition of taste aversion in goldfish, whereas damage to the dorsolateral pallium (hippocampus homologue) or cerebellar corpus did not produce significant changes in this learning. Experiment 3 showed that these TAL deficits were not due to a lesion-related disruption of taste discrimination; goldfish with telencephalon ablation were able to learn to distinguish between the two tested flavors in a differential conditioning procedure. These functional data demonstrate that the dorsomedial pallium in teleosts is, like the amygdala, an essential component of the telencephalon-dependent taste aversion memory system and provide further support concerning the homology between both structures.

SB-334867-A, a selective orexin-1 receptor antagonist, enhances taste aversion learning and blocks taste preference learning in rats

Lateral hypothalamus (LH) has been proposed as a possible center for the anatomical convergence of gustatory and postingestive information relevant to taste aversion learning (TAL) and conditioned flavor preference (CFP). Orexin, a neuropeptide that mainly originates in neurons in lateral hypothalamic areas, was recently related to learning and memory processes. The present study was designed to analyze a possible relationship between the orexinergic system and taste learning. We studied the effect of intracerebroventricular administration of three doses (3, 6, and 12 μg/1 μl) of the selective orexin-1 receptor antagonist SB-334867-A on the acquisition of TAL induced by a single administration of LiCl. Infusion of SB-334867-A did not block this learning and appeared to enhance TAL in a two-bottle test. However, SB-334867-A (6 μg/1 μl) blocked taste preference learning when a flavor associated with saccharin (CS+) was offered on alternate days against a different flavor without saccharin (CS-), during three acquisition sessions. These results offer evidence of a relationship between the orexinergic system and taste learning; they tentatively suggest the possibility that endogenous orexin and gustatory and postingestive (visceral and oral) signals converge in brain areas relevant to the acquisition of taste learning.

The role of the dorsal-most part of the lateral parabrachial nucleus in the processing of hypertonic NaCl using different conditioned flavor avoidance paradigms

The parabrachial nucleus (PBN) has been strongly associated with taste aversion learning (TAL) acquisition. Independent of its suggested associative functions, this brain stem centre plays a key role in the sensorial processing of both gustatory and visceral information. The sensory visceral functions have been attributed to the lateral area of the PBN (PBNl) but, recently, it has been proposed that within this area a form of anatomical and functional segregation may also exist, determined by factors such as, the learning paradigm used, the nature of aversive agent used, or the route chosen for the administration of this agent. This study used a lesion approach in rats to address the question of whether the dorsal most portion of the PBNl plays a key role in the acquisition of a conditioned avoidance to flavored stimuli induced by hypertonic sodium chloride (intra gastric), and whether this role is dependent on the flavor avoidance learning (FAL) paradigm used, concurrent (experiment 1) or delayed-sequential FAL (experiment 2). Results showed a clear disruptive effect of the PBNl electrolytic lesion on the acquisition of the concurrent FAL, but hardly any attenuation of the delayed-sequential FAL. This finding is discussed in the context of the hypothesis that two separate and apparently non-redundant routes exist for the processing of the visceral information.

Learned preferences induced by electrical stimulation of a food-related area of the parabrachial complex: Effects of naloxone

Electrical stimulation of the External Lateral Parabrachial Subnucleus (LPBe), a food-related area, induced behavioral preferences for associated stimuli in a taste discrimination learning task. Although this stimulation appeared to be ineffective to elicit standard lever press self-stimulation, it induced place preference for one of two training compartments of a rectangular maze in which animals (adult male Wistar rats) received concurrent electrical brain stimulation. In subjects that consistently showed a preference behavior in different trials, administration of the opioid antagonist naloxone (4 mg/ml/kg) blocked concurrent learning when the test was made in a new maze but not in the same maze in which animals had learned the task. These results are discussed in terms of the possible participation of the LPBe subnucleus in different natural and artificial brain reward systems.

Progressive postnatal increases in Fos immunoreactivity in the forebrain and brain stem of rats after viscerosensory stimulation with lithium chloride

Interoceptive signals have a powerful impact on the motivation and emotional learning of animals during stressful experiences. However, current insights into the organization of interoceptive pathways stem mainly from observation and manipulation of adults, and little is known regarding the functional development of viscerosensory signaling pathways. To address this, we have examined central neural activation patterns in rat pups after treatment with lithium chloride (LiCl), a malaise-inducing agent. Rat pups were injected intraperitoneally with 0.15 M LiCl or 0.15 M NaCl (2% body wt) on postnatal day (P)0, 7, 14, 21, or 28, perfused 60 to 90 min postinjection, and their brains assayed for Fos protein immunolabeling. Compared with saline treatment, LiCl increased Fos only slightly in the area postrema, nucleus of the solitary tract, and lateral parabrachial nucleus on P0. LiCl did not increase Fos above control levels in the central nucleus of the amygdala, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), or paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus on P0 but did on P7 and later. Maximal Fos responses to LiCl were observed on P14 in all areas except the BNST, in which LiCl-induced Fos activation continued to increase through P28. These results indicate that central LiCl-sensitive interoceptive circuits in rats are not fully functional at birth, and show age-dependent increases in neural Fos responses to viscerosensory stimulation with LiCl.

Expression of melanocortin-4 receptor by rat parabrachial neurons responsive to immune and aversive stimuli

The pontine parabrachial nucleus is a major relay area for visceral and other interoceptive information, and has been implicated in mechanisms underlying anorexia and food aversion during disease. Thus, physiological studies have shown that peripheral immune stimuli, as well as the administration of aversive substances such as lithium chloride, evoke a prominent Fos-expression in the lateral parabrachial nucleus and behavioral experiments have demonstrated that this structure is critical for the acquisition of conditioned taste aversion. The present study examined in rats the relationship between parabrachial neurons activated by systemic administration of bacterial cell-wall lipopolysaccharide or lithium chloride and the melanocortin system, a major regulator of feeding and energy homeostasis that also has been implicated in aversive behavior. Dual-labeling in situ hybridization showed melanocortin-4 receptor expression on neurons in the external lateral parabrachial subnucleus that displayed lipopolysaccharide- or lithium chloride-induced expression of c-fos mRNA. Melanocortin-4 receptor mRNA was also co-expressed with mRNA for calcitonin gene-related peptide in this subnucleus. Taken together with previous observations showing that calcitonin gene-related peptide expressing neurons in the external lateral parabrachial subnucleus are activated by peripheral immune challenge, that lipopolysaccharide-activated external lateral parabrachial subnucleus neurons project to the amygdala, and that the amygdala-projecting neurons in the external lateral parabrachial subnucleus are calcitonin gene-related peptide-positive, the present findings suggest the presence of a melanocortin-regulated calcitonin gene-related peptide-positive pathway from the external lateral parabrachial subnucleus to the amygdala that relays information of importance to forebrain responses to certain aspects of sickness behavior. These observations may thus help explain how melanocortins can reduce feeding and influence conditioned taste aversion during inflammation and other disease conditions.

Role of ventral tegmental area, periaqueductal gray and parabrachial nucleus in the discriminative stimulus effects of morphine in the rat

Previous studies have produced mixed results about the role of the ventral tegmental area, periaqueductal gray and parabrachial nucleus in morphine discriminations, perhaps owing to the considerably different methodologies used. The purpose of the present study was to compare the roles of these three brain areas using the same food-reinforced discrimination protocol, to determine whether the schedule of reinforcement influenced maximal substitution produced by site-specific morphine administration and to determine whether the time course of substitution differed by site of morphine administration. Rats were trained to discriminate 3.0 mg/kg subcutaneous morphine from saline under variable interval 15-s or fixed ratio 10 schedules of food reinforcement. Rats were then implanted with one cannula aimed at the lateral ventricle (intracerebroventricular) and one aimed at the ventral tegmental area, periaqueductal gray or parabrachial nucleus. Morphine discrimination curves were obtained by subcutaneous, intracerebroventricular and intrasite routes. When administered subcutaneously, morphine was equipotent in variable interval-trained and fixed ratio-trained rats, although it was more potent in fixed ratio-trained females than fixed ratio-trained males. When administered intracerebroventricularly, morphine (0.3-10 microg) engendered a maximum average of 63% drug-appropriate responding in both variable interval-trained and fixed ratio-trained rats; females showed significantly greater drug-appropriate responding than males, again under the fixed ratio but not under the variable interval schedule. In variable interval-trained rats, intrasite infusions of morphine (0.3-10 microg) produced maximal drug-appropriate responding of approximately 57% (ventral tegmental area), 56% (periaqueductal gray) and 41% (parabrachial nucleus); mean maximal substitution was slightly (< or = 17%) greater in fixed ratio-trained rats. When injected into the ventral tegmental area or periaqueductal gray, but not the parabrachial nucleus, naloxone methiodide (2 microg) significantly decreased drug-appropriate responding following 3.0 mg/kg subcutaneous morphine, in both variable interval-trained and fixed ratio-trained rats. The time course of the discriminative stimulus effects of morphine differed among the three brain sites: intraventral tegmental area morphine produced peak drug-appropriate responding by 15 min after injection, whereas the discriminative stimulus effects of intraperiaqueductal gray and intraparabrachial nucleus morphine peaked at approximately 60 min after injection. Taken together, these results indicate that ventral tegmental area, periaqueductal gray and parabrachial nucleus each play a role in the ability of morphine to function as a discriminative stimulus, regardless of the sex of the subject or the schedule under which the subjects are responding. Ventral tegmental area and periaqueductal gray, however, appear to be more critical than parabrachial nucleus in mediating the discriminative effects of systemic morphine in rats responding under a food reinforcement procedure. The pretreatment time and, to a lesser extent, the schedule of reinforcement are additional variables that should be considered when comparing the relative roles of different brain areas in drug discrimination.

Strain differences in the acquisition of nicotine-induced conditioned taste aversion

Lewis (LEW) and Fischer (F344) rat strains differ on a variety of physiological and behavioral endpoints, including reactivity to drugs of abuse. Although they differ in drug reactivity, such assessments are generally limited to morphine and cocaine. To determine if these differences generalize to other drugs, the present study examined these strains for their reactivity to the affective properties of nicotine, specifically their sensitivity to nicotine in the conditioned taste aversion preparation. For four or five conditioning cycles given every other day, rats from both strains were allowed access to saccharin and injected with nicotine (0.1, 0.4, 0.8 mg/kg) or vehicle. On intervening days, all rats were given access to water and injected with vehicle. Under this one-bottle training and testing procedure, neither strain displayed aversions at the lowest dose of nicotine (0.1 mg/kg). Aversions were evident for both strains at 0.4 and 0.8 mg/kg, although the F344 rats acquired the aversions at 0.4 mg/kg faster and displayed a significantly greater aversion at 0.8 mg/kg than subjects from the LEW strain. For both strains, aversions were evident at all doses (and in a dose-dependent manner) when subjects were given access to saccharin and water in a two-bottle test. There were, however, no strain differences on this test. Differences between the two strains in their acquisition of nicotine-induced taste aversions were discussed in the context of aversion assessments with other compounds as well as in relation to differences in the self-administration of nicotine in the two strains.

Role of the lateral parabrachial nucleus in apomorphine-induced conditioned consumption reduction: cooling lesions and relationship of c-Fos-like immunoreactivity to strength of conditioning

The following experiments were designed to determine whether the lateral parabrachial nucleus (lPBN) mediates acquisition of conditioned consumption reduction induced by apomorphine, an agent that also has reinforcing properties. Temporary cooling lesions of the PBN blocked acquisition of apomorphine-induced conditioned consumption reduction. In addition, both apomorphine and LiCl activated c-Fos-like immunoreactivity (c-FLI) in the central, external, and crescent lPBN, and there was a strong correspondence between amount of c-FLI expression and strength of conditioned consumption reduction in these subnuclei. Taken together, these results support the hypothesis that the lPBN mediates apomorphine-induced conditioned consumption reduction, as is true for LiCl. Furthermore, they raise the possibility that the specific part of the lPBN mediating this conditioning effect of apomorphine and LiCl is 1 of the 3 subnuclei.

Lateral parabrachial lesions impair lithium chloride-induced aversive responses but not saccharin-induced flavor preference

Behavioral taste-guided experiments, as well as molecular studies employing c-FLI expression in response to aversive/appetitive unconditioned stimulus, have strongly suggested a visceral role for the lateral parabrachial subnuclei (lPB). The main objective in the present study was to further evaluate the functional role of the lPB in lithium chloride-induced behavioral/physiological responses. We employed a lesion/behavioral experimental strategy combining a lithium chloride-induced place aversion procedure together with the simultaneous evaluation of behavioral ("Lying on Belly", "LOB") and physiological (body temperature) responses elicited by the toxin. Data showed that lPB-lesioned animals failed to avoid the chamber previously paired with lithium chloride. Moreover, "LOB", and not hypothermia, in response to lithium chloride was impaired in parabrachial lesioned animals. Finally, all the animals were tested in a free discriminative flavor-preference task induced by saccharin, a non-caloric reinforcer, which precludes visceral feedback as essential in acquiring the learned response. As expected, both control and lesioned animals developed a clear flavor-preference to the flavor previously paired with saccharin, which shows normal gustatory and associative processing in lPB-lesioned animals. This study extends previous results on the functional visceral role of lPB subnuclei by providing alternative behavioral evidence other than taste-guided behavior, that the lPB is pivotal in visceral processing. Present data are discussed in the context of the visceral hypothesis that holds that the lPB is critically involved in processing post-oral visceral feedback.

Medial versus lateral parabrachial nucleus lesions in the rat: effects on mercaptoacetate-induced feeding and conditioned taste aversion

The two experiments of the present study examined the influence of bilateral electrophysiologically-guided ibotenic acid lesions of the medial (gustatory) and lateral (viscerosensory) subdivisions of the parabrachial nucleus (PBN) on lipoprivic feeding and on the acquisition of a conditioned taste aversion. In Experiment 1, mercaptoacetate (0, 400, 600, or 800 micromol/kg) failed to enhance food intake in normal rats maintained and tested on standard laboratory chow. In the same procedure, rats with lesions of the medial or lateral PBN consumed less food during baseline but nonetheless were sensitive to the orexigenic action of mercaptoacetate. In Experiment 2, both types of PBN lesions prevented acquisition of a conditioned taste aversion induced by the oral self administration of lithium chloride. The results suggest that PBN neurons essential for conditioned taste aversion are not involved in the mercaptoacetate-induced feeding of rats maintained and tested on standard laboratory chow.

Cooling lesions of the lateral parabrachial nucleus during LiCl activation block acquisition of conditioned taste avoidance in male rats

Lesions of the lateral parabrachial nucleus (lPBN) disrupt acquisition of LiCl-induced conditioned taste avoidance. Animals with lesions in this area also fail to exhibit taste neophobia. This raises the possibility that an inability of rats to recognize the taste solution as novel contributes to the deficit in taste avoidance learning. If this is the case, then one would expect conditioned taste avoidance not to be disrupted if the lPBN is functional during taste processing but not during LiCl processing. The first three experiments demonstrated that cooling was a viable method by which to temporarily inactivate the lPBN. Measurement of neural temperature during cooling indicated that the lPBN was cooled to temperatures that have been shown to block synaptic transmission but not axonal transmission. Cooling the lPBN itself induced a conditioned avoidance to a sucrose solution but this avoidance was abolished by exposure to daily cooling for 1 week prior to acquisition. In experiment 4, all animals were preexposed to lPBN cooling for 1 week. Those rats that received cooling lesions during a period that started immediately after sucrose solution consumption and extended through the peak effectiveness of LiCl failed to acquire a taste avoidance. These results fail to support the hypothesis that the deficit in taste avoidance learning after permanent lesions of the lPBN is due to an inability of lesioned animals to recognize the taste as novel. They are consistent with the hypothesis that this neural area processes ascending information about LiCl.

Dissociation of the associative and visceral sensory components of taste aversion learning by tetrodotoxin inactivation of the parabrachial nucleus in rats

The parabrachial nucleus (PBN) has been proposed as the associative site for conditioned taste aversion. Previous evidence has shown that functional blockade of the PBN by tetrodotoxin (TTX) produces retrograde disruption of lithium-induced taste aversions in rats. However, given the PBN role in processing visceral cues and the long duration of the lithium-induced aversive effects, an interpretation based on lithium chloride processing deficits can not be ruled out. The aim of the present study was to use the unconditioned stimulus (US) pre-exposure phenomenon to explore the effect of PBN inactivation by intracerebral TTX microinjections on visceral processing. Three intraperitoneal (i.p.) lithium chloride injections (0.15 M; 2% b.w.) applied before the conditioning session, but not isotonic saline i.p. injections, interfered with the acquisition of a learned aversion to a cider vinegar solution (3%) in cannulated control rats. Bilateral PBN inactivation by TTX (10 ng) applied immediately after each LiCl injections disrupted the US pre-exposure effect, thus confirming its sensory role. However, PBN inactivation 30 min after LiCl injections did not interfere with the US pre-exposure effect, in spite of the fact that an identically timed PBN blockade after the acquisition trial disrupted the acquisition of taste aversions. These results stand for the associative role of PBN in taste aversion learning induced by lithium chloride, independent of its sensory role. It is concluded that PBN activity is required after the conditioning trial for the taste-visceral association to take place.

Conditioned taste aversion as a learning and memory paradigm

Conditioned taste aversion (CTA) is a well established learning and memory paradigm in rats and mice that is considered to be a special form of classical conditioning. Rodents--as well as many other species including man--learn to associate a novel taste (CS) with nausea (US), and as a consequence avoid drinking fluid with this specific taste. In contrast to other types of classical conditioning, even CS-US intervals lasting several hours lead to an aversion to the gustatory CS. With increasing CS-US delay duration, however, the aversion against the CS gradually decreases. Mice differ from rats in their reaction to the CS as well as the US. They tolerate a much higher concentration of saccharin and they do not show any clear signs of nausea when injected with the US. Advantages of this task are its relative independence of motor behavior, well described pathways for the CS and partly the US, and the wealth of available anatomical and pharmacological data implying several brain structures (e.g. parabrachial nucleus, amygdala, insular cortex), neurotransmitters and their receptors (e.g. cholinergic system, NMDA-receptors), and cellular processes (e.g. expression of immediate early genes, Ras-MAP kinase signaling pathway, CREB phosphorilation, protein tyrosine phosphorilation, protein synthesis) in CTA. The CTA paradigm has also been successfully used to phenotype mouse mutants.

Effects of a flavor-placement reversal test after different modalities of taste aversion learning

Taste aversion learning is induced through two different behavioral procedures: a short-term or concurrent (two-daily flavors) and a long-term or sequential (one-daily flavor) procedure. For the concurrent group of animals, two gustatory/olfactory stimuli are presented separately but at the same time on a daily basis. One is paired with simultaneous intragastric administration of hypertonic NaCl and the other with physiological saline. For the sequential group, the two stimuli are presented on alternate days, one of them followed by intragastric injection of the aversive stimulus and the other by saline, both after a delay of 15 min. The two groups learned the task, but when they were subjected to a flavor-placement reversal test only the sequential group was successful in achieving it. In a second experiment, three groups of animals had to learn concurrent or sequential discrimination tasks (with either simultaneous or delayed administration of the visceral stimulus) using only spatial/proprioceptive cues. The data show that none of the groups learned them under these conditions. The results are discussed in terms of the different modalities of learning. Short-term and long-term taste aversion learning are different in the anatomical structures involved, the number of trials required for acquisition and, as shown in this paper, flexibility.

Lateral parabrachial nucleus lesions in the rat: neophobia and conditioned taste aversion

The present study investigated the hypothesis that the conditioned taste aversion (CTA) deficit consequent to lesions of the lateral parabrachial nucleus (LPBN) may be due to a disruption of neophobia. In Experiment 1, subjects were tested with one of three taste stimuli (alanine, saccharin, or quinine) and two nontaste stimuli (capsaicin and almond odor). Ibotenic acid lesions of the LPBN eliminated neophobia to alanine and saccharin but had no influence on the neophobic response to quinine, capsaicin, or almond odor. In Experiment 2, all the LPBN-lesioned (LPBNX) rats failed to develop a CTA. These results do not support the experimental hypothesis. Not only was the lesion-induced disruption of neophobia restricted to taste stimuli, the deficit was selective within that category. It is already known that LPBNX rats are unable to acquire conditioned aversions to capsaicin as well as alanine. Thus, the absence of a conditioned ingestional aversion in LPBNX rats is not predicated upon the absence of a neophobic response to the target stimulus. The present results, although exposing a stimulus selective disruption of neophobia, suggest that this deficit is independent of, rather than responsible for, the absence of conditioned ingestional aversions in rats with LPBN lesions.

Lateral parabrachial lesions impair taste aversion learning induced by blood-borne visceral stimuli

The lateral parabrachial area (LPB), main relay from the area postrema (AP), plays a role in processing visceral information and is thus of potential importance in taste aversion learning (TAL). This study used a lesion approach to address whether LPB functional relevance depends upon the features of toxins that serves as visceral stimuli in TAL. In addition, we explored whether LPB involvement in TAL is restricted to those toxic events detected by the AP or whether it has a more general role. Results showed that LPB-lesioned animals were disrupted in acquiring a TAL induced by blood-borne AP-dependent aversive stimuli (intraperitoneal methylscopolamine) and by AP-independent stimulus (intraperitoneal ethanol), but still, clearly developed strong aversions when intragastric hypertonic sodium chloride, a vagally processed aversive stimulus, served as the aversive stimulus. These findings suggest that the LPB plays a critical role in TAL induced by blood-borne toxins, such as methylscopolamine or ethanol, but is not necessary for vagally mediated stimulus, such as sodium chloride. The present results are discussed in the context of the hypothesis holding separable and independent neural systems underlying TAL.

Electrolytic lesions of the pedunculopontine nucleus disrupt concurrent learned aversion induced by NaCl

Bilateral electrolytic lesions in the pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN) impair acquisition of short-term, or concurrent, Taste Aversion Learning (TAL) in rats. This type of TAL is characterized by the daily presentation of two different flavor stimuli at the same time, one associated with simultaneous intragastric administration of an aversive product (hypertonic NaCl) and the other with physiological saline. Sham-lesioned control animals learn this taste discrimination task, but both lesioned animals and control animals learn a long-term, or delayed, TAL task in which each gustatory stimulus is presented individually every other day and the intragastric products, LiCl (0.15 M) and physiological saline, are administered after a 15-min delay. These results are analyzed in the context of the cerebellar circuits involved in learning and in relation to the two TAL modalities described above.

Lateral parabrachial lesions impair intraperitoneal but not intraventricular methylscopolamine-induced taste aversion learning

The role of the lateral parabrachial area (lPB) in the acquisition of a delayed taste aversion learning task (TAL) was examined by delivering the peripherally acting aversive compound, methylscopolamine (MSP), through two different routes, intraperitoneal and intraventricular. Consistent with previous anatomical, behavioral and molecular work, electrolytic lesions centered at the lPB did impair TAL when the MSP was injected intraperitoneally. However, lPB-lesioned animals exhibited intact learning capacities when MSP was administered intraventricularly. These results are interpreted in terms of the lPB as a critical anatomical relay involved in bottom-up visceral processing of aversive stimuli and also in relation to the relevance of forebrain structures in TAL.

Lateral parabrachial nucleus lesions in the rat: aversive and appetitive gustatory conditioning

Previous research involving tests of innate preferences and aversions shows that bilateral ibotenic acid lesions of the visceral neurons located in the lateral parabrachial nucleus of the pons selectively disrupt consumption of those gustatory stimuli whose intake is augmented or restricted by their postoral consequences. The present study examined the performance of the same experimental subjects in learned preference and aversion tasks. The lesioned rats failed to develop a conditioned taste aversion (Experiment 1), a conditioned flavor preference (Experiment 2), and a conditioned aversion to the oral trigeminal stimulus, capsaicin (Experiment 3). The pattern of results from both types of taste-guided behaviors (innate and learned) suggests that excitotoxic lesions of the lateral parabrachial nucleus diminish sensitivity to gastrointestinal feedback which, in the present experiments, precludes aversive and appetitive associative learning.

Retention of concurrent taste aversion learning after electrolytic lesioning of the interpositus-dentate region of the cerebellum

Lesions in the interpositus-dentate region of the cerebellum impair short-term, or concurrent, TAL. In this type of learning, animals must discriminate between two flavor stimuli presented at the same time, one of which is associated with an aversive product. The task is learned by the control animals, and within this group the animals that acquire it adequately enough (15/22, 70% criterion) retain the learned taste discrimination when they are subjected to it again after being lesioned in the interpositus-dentate region. These results suggest that the deep nuclei are essential in the concurrent TAL acquisition process, but not in its retention.

Possible routes of visceral information in the rat brain in formation of conditioned taste aversion

When ingestion of a taste stimulus is paired with internal malaise, the animal remembers the taste and rejects its ingestion thereafter. This learning is referred to as conditioned taste aversion (CTA). To establish CTA in adult male Wistar rats, 0.1% saccharin and an i.p. injection of 0.15 M LiCl were used as the conditioned and unconditioned stimuli, respectively. Neuroanatomical study using the tracer method was performed to examine the ascending routes from the lateral part of the parabrachial nucleus (PBlat) which receives general visceral information and suggested the three possible routes to the amygdala: (1) direct route to the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA); (2) diencephalic route to the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA) involving the zona incerta (ZI) and the midline and intralaminar thalamic complex (MITC); and (3) cortical route to the BLA involving insular cortex (IC). Rats with excitotoxic lesions of each of the CeA, ZI, MITC or IC had only a small or negligible effect on the acquisition of CTA. However, single lesions of the BLA and combined lesions of the ZI and IC, but not CeA and IC, almost completely abolished the acquisition of CTA. These results together with previous findings suggest that visceral (or unconditioned stimulus) information in the PBlat is sent to the BLA which is essential for the acquisition of CTA via the functionally important two parallel routes, the diencephalic and cortical routes, with either being able to create the aversion.

Inferior olive lesions impair concurrent taste aversion learning in rats

Taste aversion learning can be established according to two different procedures, concurrent and sequential. For the concurrent task, two different taste stimuli are offered at the same time, one associated with simultaneous intragastric administration of an aversive stimulus and the other associated with physiological saline. This discrimination is learned by sham-lesioned control animals and by animals with lesions in the cerebellar cortex but not by rats lesioned in the inferior olive. At the same time, animals with lesions in the inferior olive and sham-lesioned animals achieve sequential learning when the gustatory stimuli are offered individually during each daily session. The results obtained show that electrolytic lesions in the inferior olive impair acquisition of concurrent learning and are analyzed in terms of an anatomical system consisting of the vagus nerve, inferior olive, and cerebellum, which differentiates between the two modalities of taste aversion learning, concurrent and sequential.

Functional blockade of the parabrachial area by tetrodotoxin disrupts the acquisition of conditioned taste aversion induced by motion-sickness in rats

The role of the parabrachial area in conditioned taste aversion (CTA) induced by motion-sickness was studied in male Wistar rats. In the first experiment, one-trial conditioned taste aversion, to a 0.5% decaffeinated coffee solution, was induced by 30 min of vertical rotatory motion (80 rev./min) in intact rats. In the second experiment, reversible blockade of the neural activity in various brainstem sites was induced by bilateral intracerebral injections of tetrodotoxin (TTX) (10 ng/microl) after conditioning. Blockade of the parabrachial area, but neither A8 nor lateral vestibular nucleus, disrupted the acquisition of (CTA). The results are discussed in terms of an associative role of the parabrachial area in body rotation-induced taste aversion learning, as the area was intact during sensory processing and testing.

The parabrachial nucleus and conditioned taste aversion

The parabrachial nucleus (PBN) surrounds the brachium conjunctivum in the dorsolateral pons. Although composed of numerous subnuclei, the PBN is typically organized into medial and lateral subdivisions according to their location relative to the brachium. In rodents, the medial PBN is part of the central gustatory system, whereas the lateral PBN is a component of the visceral sensory system. Lesions of the PBN disrupt conditioned taste aversion, a critically important learning mechanism that prevents the repeated ingestion of toxic food. Relevant neurobehavioral literature is reviewed to elucidate the role of the PBN in taste aversion learning.

Role of the medial and lateral parabrachial nucleus in acquisition and retention of conditioned taste aversion in rats

When ingestion of a taste stimulus is paired with internal malaise, the animal remembers the taste and rejects its ingestion thereafter. This learning is referred to as conditioned taste aversion (CTA). To establish CTA in adult male Wistar rats, 0.1% saccharin and an i.p. injection of 0.15 M LiCl were used as the conditioned and unconditioned stimuli, respectively. To elucidate the functional role of the medial part of the parabrachial nucleus (PBmed) which receives taste information and the lateral part (PBlat) which receives general visceral information, confined electrolytic lesions were made to either of these regions. Rats with bilateral lesions of the PBlat impaired the acquisition of CTA, but those lesions made after the acquisition of CTA had no effect on the retention of this learning. The bilateral lesions of the PBmed abolished the acquisition and retention of CTA. The PBlat-lesioned rats showed normal taste preference behavior, but PBmed-lesioned rats showed impaired sensibility to taste stimuli. These results suggest that both the PBlat and PBmed are essential for the acquisition of taste aversion learning, but the PBlat is not necessary for retrieval of CTA.

Salient responsiveness of parabrachial neurons to the conditioned stimulus after the acquisition of taste aversion learning in rats

The pontine parabrachial nucleus is considered to be one of the most critical regions for the acquisition of conditioned taste aversion which is an associative learning of taste and illness. To further clarify the possible involvement of the parabrachial nucleus in conditioned taste aversion, we recorded neuronal responses to taste stimuli from the parabrachial nucleus of rats under deep urethane anaesthesia. Animals were separated into two groups: the conditioned taste aversion group that had acquired a taste aversion to 0.1 M NaCl (conditioned stimulus) after paired presentations of the taste stimulus with intraperitoneal injection of LiCl (unconditioned stimulus), and the control group that had received only the unconditioned stimulus before experiments. Taste-responsive neurons in the conditioned taste aversion group showed larger responses to NaCl at below 0.1 M, but similar responses to 0.3 M and 0.5 M NaCl when compared with those in the control group. Furthermore, hierarchical cluster analyses revealed a strong similarity among responses to sodium salts in neurons of the conditioned taste aversion group compared with the control group. These results suggest that the aversive conditioning to NaCl modified parabrachial units so that the sodium taste was more salient than other tastes. This modification may reflect a long-term plastic change persisting without support of forebrain structures, and would facilitate the gustatory discrimination of the conditioned stimulus, which is required by conditioned animals.

Gustatory function in the parabrachial nuclei: implications from lesion studies in rats

In rodents, third order gustatory neurons reside in the parabrachial nuclei of the dorsal pons. Lesions in this area of the brain have a variety of consequences on taste-related behaviors. Some behaviors are severely impaired, such as the expression of either conditioned taste aversion or depletion-induced sodium appetite. Other taste-based behaviors are less affected or not influenced at all. Although the lesion-behavior approach possesses serious methodological limitations, the constellation of findings from studies employing this experimental strategy in the PBN has promising implications. Foremost among these is the suggestion that the neural circuitry subserving performance in some of these taste-guided behavioral paradigms is dissociable. This paper critically reviews this body of behavioral research and discusses the conceptual ramifications of the results.

Neural substrates for conditioned taste aversion in the rat

Conditioned taste aversions (CTAs) are well known to be robust and long-lasting instances of learning induced by a single CS (taste)-US (malaise) pairing. CTA can be taken as a general model to search for neural mechanisms of learning and memory. In spite of extensive research on CTAs using a variety of approaches during the last three decades, the neural mechanisms of taste aversion learning still remain unsolved. In this article we propose a model of neural substrates of CTAs on the basis of our recent studies incorporating previous findings by other workers. Our studies mainly included experiments using ibotenic acid injections into various parts of the rat brain as a lesion technique, and c-fos immunohistochemistry in naive and CTA trained rats. CTAs were established by pairing the ingestion of saccharin (CS) with an ip injection of LiCl (US). Behavioral studies have shown that the parabrachial nucleus (PBN), medial thalamus, and basolateral nucleus of the amygdala are essential for both acquisition and retention of CTAs. C-fos studies suggested that association between gustatory CS and visceral US takes place in the PBN. The gustatory cortex (GC) may modify the strength of this association depending on the nature of the CS, viz., novel or familiar. The amygdala is indispensable for the expressions of CTAs. Tastes with hedonic values are stored in the GC in a long-term manner.