Effects of food deprivation, deprivation experience and sex on exploration in rats.

Abstract

Following 0 or 48 hr current deprivation male and female rats were individually observed for 15 min in an exploration box consisting of a novel and a familiar half. Half of the subjects had gained deprivation experience by being allowed food for only 30 min a day for 10 consecutive days prior to testing. The remainder had been on an ad lib. diet for the same period. Current deprivation of 48 hr decreased locomotor activity (total number of units entered) only for deprivationally experienced rats, who showed more locomotion than naive animals when neither group was currently deprived. Also, current deprivation produced a higher frequency of exploratory activity for males but not for females. Males engaged in less exploration than females when neither sex was currently deprived. All rats showed an over‐all preference for the novel half of the apparatus, but this preference was not affected by any of the three experimental variables. However, currently deprived rats entered the novel half sooner than non‐deprived animals.