Perceptual characteristics of the amiloride-suppressed sodium chloride taste response in the rat.

Assessed the contribution of amiloride-sensitive membrane components to the perception of NaCl taste using a conditioned taste aversion procedure with 8 groups of adult rats conditioned to avoid either 0.1M NaCl, 0.5M NaCl, 0.1M NH?Cl, or 1.0M sucrose while their tongues were exposed either to water or to amiloride hydrochloride. Differences in the acquisition of taste aversions between the amiloride- and nonamiloride-treated groups were not apparent when the conditioned stimulus (CS) was 0.5M NaCl, 0.1M NH?Cl, or 1.0M sucrose. Although the magnitude of the 0.5M NaCl aversion was similar between amiloride- and nonamiloride-treated Ss, the perceptual characteristics of the CS differed between groups. Amiloride-treated Ss avoided monochloride salts after conditioning to 0.5M NaCl but not nonsodium salts or nonsalt stimuli. Ss not treated with amiloride only generalized the 0.5M NaCl aversion to sodium salts. The "salty" taste of NaCl is related to the amiloride-sensitive portion of the functional taste response in rats. The portion of the NaCl response insensitive to amiloride has "sour-salty" perceptual characteristics and is not perceived as being salty. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)