Amphetamine-induced taste aversion demonstrated with operant behaviour.

Amphetamine can be used to condition strong taste aversions, but little is known about the possible effects of flavour-amphetamine pairings on operant behaviour. Rats were trained to press bars for water reinforcers delivered after every 40 responses (FR 40). Flavoured reinforcers were then substituted for the water and post-session injections of amphetamine (1 mg/kg) were given. Even a single flavour-amphetamine pairing produced some decrement in responding for that flavour, whereas three flavour-amphetamine pairings almost completely suppressed responding. In the same rats, a flavour which was paired with saline injections did not suppress responding. Flavour-amphetamine pairings can therefore have a powerful influence on operant behaviour and the different outcomes of flavour-conditioning and self-administration procedures cannot be attributed simply to the type of response required from the rat.