Influence of taste stimulation during the suckling period on adult taste preference in rats.

Effects of taste deprivation and selective taste exposure during the suckling period on adult preference for flavored solutions was examined. Taste deprivation was achieved by rearing rat pups "artificially," in individual cups with intragastric feeding from Postnatal Days 4 through 17 or 18. In the first study the effects of artificial rearing on male Long-Evans rats were examined. In the second study female Wistar rats were exposed to a single tastant, sucrose, which was introduced on a background of taste deprivation. Results of both studies were similar. No differences in taste sensitivity or preference were detected between animals subjected to taste deprivation or selective taste exposure and their normally reared littermates. These results suggest that suckling stimulation is not necessary for normal taste development and that the taste system of the rat is not particularly susceptible to the influence of early experience. Other interpretations of these results are also discussed.