Resumen de Consummatory Successive Negative Contrast in Young and Middle-aged Rats

Mariana Bentosela, María de los Ángeles D'Ambros, Mauricio R. Papini, Alba Mustaca

• The performance of middle-aged (14-month old) and young (3-month old) rats was assessed in the consummatory successive negative contrast (cSNC) situation. Rats received 10 daily preshift trials of access to a 32% sucrose solution followed by 5 postshift trials of access to 4% sucrose solution. Unshifted controls had access to the 4% solution in every trial. The retention interval between the last preshift trial and the first postshift trial was either 1 day or 5 days in different groups. cSNC was generally similar in middle-age and young rats in the 1-day retention interval condition. However, middle-age rats recovered faster than young rats from cSNC when a 5-day retention interval was used. This finding is discussed in relation to age-related changes in memory and emotion.