Elsevier

Physiology & Behavior

Volume 54, Issue 5, November 1993, Pages 909-916
Physiology & Behavior

Microstructural analysis of successive negative contrast in free-feeding and deprived rats

https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9384(93)90301-UGet rights and content

Abstract

Rats shifted from 1.0 M to 0.1 M sucrose lick at lower rates for the weaker solution than rats that have continual access to the 0.1 M sucrose solution only. This effect, referred to as successive negative contrast, has been investigated primarily in food-deprived rats and, in all cases, using total licks or total volume consumed as the dependent measure. The present experiment used a microstructural analysis of licking patterns to examine the changes in behavior that constitute the contrast effect in total licks in both deprived and free-feeding rats. Although the magnitude of the effect was similar, deprived rats recovered from contrast more rapidly than free-feeding rats. Furthermore, the patterns of licking behavior associated with contrast differed under the two deprivation conditions. Specifically, when compared with the unshifted controls, the contrast effect in deprived rats was accomplished through a decrease in the number of licks per burst, an increase in the number of bursts initiated, a brief increase in the length of the interburst intervals, and no change in length of the interlick intervals. In free-feeding animals, contrast was associated with a decrease in the number of licks per burst, a brief increase in the length of the interburst interval, and no changes in either the number of bursts initiated or in the length of the interlick intervals. Together, these data demonstrate that patterns of licking behavior are differentially affected by solution concentration, deprivation state, and relative aspects of reward value.

References (23)

  • J.D Davis et al.

    Magnitude of reinforcement and consummatory behavior

    Science

    (1959)
  • Cited by (43)

    • Investigating the Effect of Physiological Need States on Palatability and Motivation Using Microstructural Analysis of Licking

      2020, Neuroscience
      Citation Excerpt :

      The reason for the discrepancy between these two studies with respect to the effect of food deprivation on cluster size remains unclear but may reflect methodological differences including length of deprivation (17 h in Grill and Norgren, 1978; 23 h in Spector, et al., 1998), test duration (30 or 60 min) or choice of pause criterion. In a study of successive negative contrast, Grigson et al. (1993) performed microstructural analysis when food-deprived and free-feeding rats were given 5-min access to either 0.1 M or 1.0 M sucrose solution. Although they did not explicitly compare effects between deprivation conditions, visual inspection of their data strongly suggests that food deprivation increased cluster size for the high but not low concentration of sucrose without affecting number of clusters.

    • Consummatory successive negative contrast in rats: Assessment through orofacial taste reactivity responses

      2018, Learning and Motivation
      Citation Excerpt :

      The latter is expressed in subsequent trials in which the animal experiences a conflict caused by the anticipation of the expected reinforcement and the frustration associated with the devalued reward. Overall, the results reported here and the background reported by Suárez et al. (2013) and Grigson et al. (1993) form a body of evidence consistent with Amsel's frustration theory. If the initial suppression of the response to reward devaluation was due only to the animals’ detection of change and searching behaviors, no variations in affective or hedonic parameters should be observed in the first trial.

    • Susceptibility to traumatic stress sensitizes the dopaminergic response to cocaine and increases motivation for cocaine

      2017, Neuropharmacology
      Citation Excerpt :

      Rats were acclimated to two drip resistant water bottles for a total of 3 days prior to segregation testing. Following segregation, the water in one of the bottles was replaced with a 0.25% sucrose solution for the first 48 h and then a 1% sucrose solution for the next 48 h in order to prevent a negative contrast effect (Grigson et al., 1993). Rats were allowed equal access to the sucrose and water bottles for the entirety of the testing period.

    • Memory-dependent effects on palatability in mice

      2016, Physiology and Behavior
      Citation Excerpt :

      Both groups were then allowed to consume 4% sucrose. In rats it has been demonstrated that the shift from a high concentration of sucrose to a low concentration results in a reduction in palatability of the low concentration of sucrose compared to a condition in which animals only experience the low concentration of sucrose [12]. In mice there are reports of negative contrast effects on levels of consumption (i.e., a shift from high to low concentration of sucrose results in reduced intake compared to controls, [19]), but there are few reports of an effect on palatability (see [1]).

    View all citing articles on Scopus
    View full text