Role of anterior piriform cortex in the acquisition of conditioned flavour preference.

Cristina Mediavilla,Severiano Risco,Mar Martin-Signes

doi:10.1038/srep33365

Cristina Mediavilla, Severiano Risco + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1038/srep33365

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Journal: Scientific Reports	Publication Date: Sep 14, 2016
Citations: 8	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: University of Granada

Abstract

Flavour aversion learning (FAL) and conditioned flavour preference (CFP) facilitate animal survival and play a major role in food selection, but the neurobiological mechanisms involved are not completely understood. Neuroanatomical bases of CFP were examined by using Fos immunohistochemistry to record neuronal activity. Rats were trained over eight alternating one-bottle sessions to acquire a CFP induced by pairing a flavour with saccharin (grape was CS+ in Group 1; cherry in Group 2; in Group 3, grape/cherry in half of animals; Group 4, grape/cherry in water). Animals were offered the grape flavour on the day immediately after the training and their brains were processed for c-Fos. Neurons evidencing Fos-like immunoreactivity were counted in the infralimbic cortex, nucleus accumbens core, and anterior piriform cortex (aPC). Analysis showed a significantly larger number of activated cells after learning in the aPC alone, suggesting that the learning process might have produced a change in this cortical region. Ibotenic lesions in the aPC blocked flavour-taste preference but did not interrupt flavour-toxin FAL by LiCl. These data suggest that aPC cells may be involved in the formation of flavour preferences and that the integrity of this region may be specifically necessary for the acquisition of a CFP.

Highlights

Proposed to function as an olfactory association cortex similar to the association cortex in other sensorial systems[11]
We decided to study the role of the anterior piriform cortex (aPC) in Flavour aversion learning (FAL), because it has been found to contain more neurons that respond to olfactory cues predicting positive outcomes in comparison to those that respond to olfactory cues predicting negative outcomes[15]
We performed experiments to determine the effect of bilateral ibotenic lesions in the aPC on flavour-taste conditioned flavour preference (CFP) induced by saccharin and on flavour-toxin FAL induced by LiCl

Summary

Introduction

Proposed to function as an olfactory association cortex similar to the association cortex in other sensorial systems[11] This region has been found to contain neurons in which olfactory and taste information converges, permitting flavour perception[12,13]. It maintains anatomic connections with the olfactory bulb and with associative regions such as the orbitofrontal cortex, IL cortex, hippocampal formation and amygdala, among others[11,14].

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