FURTHER STUDIES IN RADIATION CONDITIONED BEHAVIOR. I. SOME FACTORS WHICH INFLUENCE RADIATION CONDITIONED BEHAVIOR OF RATS. II. RADIATION INDUCED CONDITIONED AVOIDANCE BEHAVIOR IN RATS, MICE AND CATS. III. CONDITIONED AVOIDANCE BEHAVIOR INDUCED BY LOW DOSE FAST NEUTRON EXPOSURE
Learned avoidance behavior in animals resulting from an association of radiation exposure and taste cues was investigated. It was found that localized x-ray exposure of the head, thorax, abdomen or pelvis could serve as a motivating stimulus to condition a saccharin aversion in rats. The abdomen proved to be a region of special sensitivity although the response was not as pronounced as that following total-body exposure for the same dose. Neither adrenalectomy or hypophysectomy prevented the development of the conditioned sacharin aversion following total-body exposure. It is suggested that sensations triggered by gastric dysfunction may represent the stimuli through which radiation acts to condition behavior in animals. The development of a conditioned aversion toward a taste stimulus associated with radiation exposure is not limited to the rat. It was fouud that such learning can also be demonstrated with mice and cats. The phenomenon was manifested by a progressive reduction in the amount of flavored fluid consumed during a series of x-ray exposures and subsequently by a decrement in prefercnce for the test fluid in the absence of exposure although other fluids were readily ingested by the animal. Fast neutrons as well as gamma or x rays can act as a stimulus to condition such behavior in rats. A total-body neutron dose of 7.5 rads was sufficient to alter the preference for saccharin. Furthermore, in contrast to previous studies, which employed radiation exposures of several hours at low-dose rates, thc neutron exposure lasted only a few minutes, indicating that the conditioning can be obtained under a wide variety of dose rates and exposure conditions. (auth)
- Research Organization:
- Naval Radiological Defense Lab., San Francisco
- NSA Number:
- NSA-14-000031
- OSTI ID:
- 4207699
- Report Number(s):
- USNRDL-TR-345
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Orig. Receipt Date: 31-DEC-60
- Country of Publication:
- Country unknown/Code not available
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
ADRENAL GLANDS
ANIMALS
BEHAVIOR
BODY
BRAIN
CATS
DIET
FAST NEUTRONS
FLUIDS
FOOD
GAMMA RADIATION
GLANDS
HYPOPHYSECTOMY
INTESTINE
IRRADIATION
MEDICINE
MICE
NEUTRONS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
PHYSIOLOGY
PITUITARY GLAND
RADIATION DOSES
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIATION PROTECTION
RADIOSENSITIVITY
RATS
SACCHARIN
SENSITIVITY
STOMACH
SURGERY
THORAX
WATER
X RADIATION