The effect of dexamethasone on potentiation phenomena in taste aversion Iearning

Cha, So-Young; 차소영

Abstract

When compound CS is paired with sickness which is US, salient CS potentiates rather than overshadows nonsalient CS in taste aversion learning. The aim of this study was to elucidate, by means of dexamethsone, the cause of the potentiation phenomena. In experiment 1, by administering dexamethasone to rats before aversive conditioning, aversion to saccharin was weakened in comparison with control group. The result suggests that dexamethasone reduces fear under the stress situation. In experinemt 2, weakened aversion to saccharin was reversed when dexamethasone was not administered. This means that the effect of dexamethasone is transient. It is supposed that if a treatment influences associative process of learning, the effect of the treatment should be relatively permanent. And the effect of dexamethasone is not permanent. Therefore, it is considered that dexamethasone is irrelevant to associative process. In experiment 3, experimental group was aversively conditioned with saccharin and almond, and control group was with almond alone. Then, dexamethasone was administered to both group. The outcome was that general aversion reduction resulted in, and potentiation effect disappeared, too. Thus, it is difficult to say that potentiation effet results from the difference of associative strength between groups. Rather, it is more related with fear.

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Article Contents

Vol.3

The effect of dexamethasone on potentiation phenomena in taste aversion Iearning

Abstract

The Korean Journal of Cognitive and Biological Psychology