Effects of chlordiazepoxide, food familiarization, and prior shock experience on food choice in rats

Abstract

Chlordiazepoxide (5, 10 mg/kg) increased the time devoted to eating familiar laboratory chow without altering the response to a range of novel, palatable foods which were also available to the food-deprived rats. Prior experience with the same range of alternative foods (food familiarization) radically changed the effect of the drug. After familiarization with these foods, chow was virtually ignored as a food choice, indicating its low relative palatability; chlordiazepoxide then prolonged the time eating the familiarized foods without significantly increasing the response to chow. These results are not consistent with an anti-food neophobia action of chordiazepoxide. They suggest instead that chlordiazepoxide enhances feeding responses related to food saliency. Footshock, delivered two days before the food choice test affected performance within the test. Its effects were opposite those of chlordiazepoxide, but they competed additively with the drug's effects. These results indicate that chlordiazepoxide's action was not simply to remove any inhibitory effect on feeding produced by fear; instead the drug promoted approach to food antagonizing any deficit in approach associated with fear. These findings are viewed as consistent with an action of chlordiazepoxide to augment the level of feeding motivation. Chlordiazepoxide (15 mg/kg) may act to overcome food neophobia.