Avoidance behavior and genetic predisposition to hypertension

Abstract

Avoidance/escape behavior, genetic predisposition to hypertension, and elevations in blood pressure were examined in Dahl salt-sensitive (DS) and Dahl salt-resistant (DR) rats. The mean blood pressure of DS rats fed a high-salt diet (186 mm Hg) was significantly higher than DS rats on the low-salt diet (130 mm Hg). The mean blood pressures of the DR rats fed high and low salt were 122 mm Hg and 117 mm Hg, respectively. The mean number of avoidance responses in 35 trials for DS rats fed high salt was 12.4 while DS rats fed low salt averaged 13.4. DR rats on high salt averaged 20.8 avoidance responses while DR rats on low salt averaged 20.1. Diet did not influence avoidance responsiveness in either line. The mean escape latencies of DS rats on high and low salt were 13.4 and 13.3 sec, respectively. The mean escape latencies of DR rats on high and low salt were 7.7 and 9.4 sec, respectively. The dramatic line difference was unaffected by salt ingestion and hypertension. The results suggest that distinguishing behavioral charactistics correlate with predisposition to hypertension but not with high blood pressure per se.