抄録
Some clinical reports demonstrate that zinc deficiency brings about taste disturbance. But there are very few reports about behavioral responses in zinc deficient animals. In the present study, therefore, we investigated whether or not zinc deficient rats could discriminate qualities of four basic taste stimuli by using the conditioned taste aversion paradigm. As the zinc deficient animals, male Wistar rats fed zinc deficient diet during 5 weeks after the weaning period were used. When these rats were subjected to aversive conditioned to one of the basic taste stimuli, any animals could acquire the conditioned taste aversion, and they never generalized to other stimuli. This result suggests that zinc deficient rats have the ability of the discrimination of the taste qualities. [J Physiol Sci. 2006;56 Suppl:S181]
