Traumatic shock, X-irradiation and avoidance behavior

It is suggested that resistance to tumbling trauma served to mitigate the effects of X-irradiation, thus accounting for the lessened saccharin avoidance responses.

Abstract

Sprague-Dawley rats received training in a modified version of the Noble-Collip tumbling apparatus under a regime designed to produce resistance to this form of trauma. These animals were then subjected to a procedure in which X-irradiation was paired with saccharin solution. This procedure typically results in a subsequent conditioned avoidance response of saccharin solution. Trauma resistant rats showed a significantly lessened avoidance response when compared to the appropriate controls. It is suggested that resistance to tumbling trauma served to mitigate the effects of X-irradiation, thus accounting for the lessened saccharin avoidance responses.