Ingestion of environmentally contaminated Lake Ontario salmon by laboratory rats increases avoidance of unpredictable aversive nonreward and mild electric shock

Journal Article · Fri Dec 01 00:00:00 EST 1989 · Behavioral Neuroscience; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1037/0735-7044.103.6.1356· OSTI ID:6991547

Daly, H B; Hertzler, D R; Sargent, D M ^[1]

---

1. State Univ. of New York, Oswego (USA)

To determine what behavioral changes are caused by consumption of Lake Ontario salmon, a 30% diet of Lake Ontario or control Pacific Ocean salmon was fed to rats for 20 days. In Experiments 1 and 2 (preference-for-predictability E-maze test), rats fed Lake Ontario salmon developed a preference for predictable food rewards more quickly than did the control rats. In Experiments 3 (passive avoidance) and 4 (conditioned suppression), rats fed Lake Ontario salmon suppressed responding to food far more after the introduction of mild electric shocks than did control rats. All results supported the hypothesis that ingestion of Lake Ontario salmon, contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls, mercury, lead, etc., increases the reactivity of rats to aversive events. The results were successfully simulated by DMOD, a mathematical model of learning, using the assumption that rats fed Lake Ontario salmon find unpredictable nonreward and mild shock more aversive.

• OSTI ID: 6991547
• Journal Information: Behavioral Neuroscience; (USA), Vol. 103:6; ISSN 0735-7044
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
CHLORINATED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
TOXICITY
LAKE ONTARIO
WATER POLLUTION
LEAD
MERCURY
SALMON
CONTAMINATION
BEHAVIOR
ELECTRIC SHOCK
FOOD CHAINS
LEARNING
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
NEW YORK
RATS
ANADROMOUS FISHES
ANIMALS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
AROMATICS
ELEMENTS
FEDERAL REGION II
FISHES
GREAT LAKES
HALOGENATED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
LAKES
MAMMALS
METALS
NORTH AMERICA
ORGANIC CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION
RODENTS
SURFACE WATERS
USA
VERTEBRATES
560300* - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
540320 - Environment
Aquatic- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)