The effect of neonatal capsaicin treatment on gustatory behavior in the albino rat

Judith R. Ganchrow*, Ze'ev Seltzer, Nitzan Bitchacho

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

Small-diameter fibers present in gustatory peripheral nerves have historically been suspected of relaying information about the bitter quality of a taste stimulus. Neonatally injected capsaicin irreversibly destroys a proportion of unmyelinated C- and some Aδ-fibers. Consummatory responses to increasing concentrations of quinine and other chemical solutions following neonatal capsaicin injection were compared to those of untreated and vehicle-injected control Sabra albino rats. Capsaicin-treated rats significantly increased their withdrawal thresholds to noxious, CO2 laser-generated heat pulses verifying treatment effectiveness. Furthermore, neonatal capsaicin treatment diminished sensitivity to pungent capsaicin solutions in mature rats. However, there were no group differences in quinine intake, suggesting that the full array of unmyelinated fibers associated with taste buds is not essential for the transmission of bitter taste. Capsaicin-treated animals showed a significant reduction in intake of normally highly preferred sodium chloride and sucrose concentrations. These results were probably not due to loss of peripheral unmyelinated afferent fibers per se, but rather to secondary central changes.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1037-1042
Number of pages6
JournalPhysiology and Behavior
Volume52
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 1992

Keywords

  • Capsaicin
  • Consummatory behavior
  • Development
  • NaCl
  • Preference
  • Quinine
  • Sucrose
  • Taste

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