Neocortical involvement in the acquisition and retention of learned alcohol aversions in rats.

In one experiment, rats lacking gustatory neocortex (GN) were compared with control (both normal and control lesion) rats in the acquisition of a learned alcohol aversion. In a second experiment, the effect of GN ablations on preoperatively learned alcohol aversions was examined. Results showed that rats lacking GN both learned and retained alcohol aversions in a normal manner. These same GN rats, however, extinguished the alcohol aversions significantly faster than controls. These results are in contrast to previous data which indicated that the integrity of the GN was necessary for normal acquisition and retention of learned taste aversions. It is suggested that the odor qualities present in the alcohol stimulus account for the relatively normal performance of GN rats.