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LSD produces place preference and flavor avoidance but does not produce flavor aversion in rats.

Linda A. Parker

Behavioral Neuroscience 1996 DOI: 10.1037//0735-7044.110.3.503 (opens in new tab)

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Experimental study Peer reviewed
Population Rats (implied by typical place conditioning and taste reactivity paradigms)
Intervention Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD)
Dose 0.05 to 0.2 mg/kg
Topics Addiction LSD Serotonin
Keywords Conditioning Flavor Taste aversion Conditioned place preference Preference test Reactivity psychology Pharmacology Food science Biochemistry
Citations 41
Key findings LSD produces conditioned place preference only at the highest dose (0.2 mg/kg) and induces taste avoidance without producing taste aversion, suggesting a mechanism distinct from emetic drugs.

Abstract

The hedonic properties of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) were assessed using the place conditioning, taste reactivity, and taste avoidance tests. LSD produced a conditioned place preference, but only at the highest dose tested (0.2 mg/kg). A single preexposure to the conditioning chamber (latent inhibition) prevented the establishment of a place preference. When paired with sucrose, doses of 0.05 to 0.2 mg/kg of LSD produced taste avoidance, but no dose of LSD produced an aversion to the taste as assessed by the taste reactivity test. These results suggest that LSD, like other rewarding drugs, produces taste avoidance by a mechanism other than that produced by emetic drugs.

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