This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Olfactory conditioning in human infants can enhance ingestion of new and aversive solutions, thereby aiding medicine consumption and diet transitions. Olfactory conditioning is also useful for studying long term memory. Preliminary to a study of olfactory conditioning, we assessed scent preference/aversion in 5 nursery raised infants ranging in age from 5-10 months. The method uses 10-cm diameter circles with a .5-in center hole, cut from coffee filters, soaked for 60-sec in pure extracts of lemon, almond, or vanilla. Two bottles containing 500 ml of water are attached to the left and right rear cage wall, at lixit height (turned off) 1-ft from the cage floor. The circles were randomly placed on the bottles, 2-in from the spout end, from 11:00-14:45 hours on each of 21 test days. Baseline sessions used unscented bottles. Test sessions paired each scent against water, as well as each against the other two scents. Amount of water consumed from each bottle was recorded. Infants consumed more water paired with almond and vanilla than at baseline, demonstrating that these scents enhanced ingestion. Water paired with lemon was at or below baseline, suggesting a relative aversion to this scent. We conclude that some scents can enhance the intake of water by infant macaques. However, when animals were tested for retention 2-6 months after initial conditioning only 4 of 10 preferred the conditioned flavor.
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