[Sex dimorphism in the patterns of conditioned-reflex taste aversion and orienting-exploratory and passive-defensive behaviors].

The patterns of conditioned taste aversion (CTA) and of some other types of behaviour were compared in adult male and female Wistar rats. Correlations between the CTA variables, on the one hand, and those of the exploratory and defensive behaviours, on the other, were shown. Females displayed initially less expressed CTA and more rapid its extinction than males. While tested in the open field, in a six-arm radial maze and in a special enclosed cubic chamber with holes in its vertical walls the females demonstrated higher levels of exploratory and locomotor activities with lower levels of emotionality and defensive behaviour than males. Sex differences were revealed in correlations between variables of CTA and behavioural responses under study. Thus, CTA patterns appear to be one of the manifestations of sexual dimorphism in non-reproductive behaviour.