SNC Non-Contingent Lithium Orotate
Continuation of SNA Lithium Orotate CTA and SNB Lithium Orotate CTA 2.
Test if lithium orotate (LiOr) only induces a conditioned taste aversion if administered contingently with saccaharin (e.g., LiOr must be injected soon after saccharin intake), and no CTA if LiOr injected 6 h before saccharin
Single pairing of saccharin intake (15 min) after 15-min delay with isomolar doses of LiCl and LiOr to see if LiOr is more potent.
| Non-Contingent Lithium Orotate | |
|---|---|
| Taste Aversion | |
| Expt Code | SNC |
| Start Date | 2026-5-18 |
| Investigators | Nabi, Houpt |
| Funding | Chair's Fund |
| Protocol | 20220000006 |
| Expt Type | CTA |
| Species | rat |
| Drugs | lithium orotate, lithium chloride |
| Data Link | https://houptlab.org/bartab/expt/?id=SNC |
Data
People
Soheila Nabi
CTA Conditioning
Agenda
Rats arrive (2026-5-5), n= 12 adult male Sprague Dawley rats (Charles River CD, d.o.b 2026-XX-XX), individually housed in BRF 169.
Day 0: Water removed (2026-5-18)
make labels for bottles.
Days 1 - 6: Water Restriction (2026-5-19 thru 2026-5-24)
Weigh rats daily. ad lib food.
30 min, 30 min, 30 min, 30 min, 30 min, 15 min water at 900 daily.
1 water bottle, 1 empty bottle to accustom to 2-bottle choice
Day 12: Conditioning Day (2026-5-25)
-6 h: 6 rats injected with 75 mM LiOr, 6 ml/kg ip (odd-numbered rats)
0 min: all rats 15 min access to 0.125% saccharin (5 g sodium saccharin/4L water)
30 min: 6 rats injected with 75 mM LiOr, 6 ml/kg ip. (even-numbered rats)
all injections made isotonic with TrisAmino:
- 0.3 M TrisAmino
36.34g / liter, autoclave, pH to 7.4 with 38% HCl
- 0.15 M LiOH
3.6g / liter (no need to autoclave)
- LiOr = 75mM LiOrotate, 150mM TrisAmino
20 ml of 0.3M TrisAmino, 20 ml of 0.15M LiOH, 0.47g orotic acid, pH to 7.4 with LiOH, filter
Ad lib water returned after final injection overnight.
Days 13 - 22: Preference Tests (2026-5-26 through 2026-5-30)
Rats CTA acquisition and extinction was measured with 24-h, 2-bottle preference tests. Rats were given 24-h free access to both 0.125% saccharin and water bottles, alternating position for at least 4 days.