Rats can condition cephalic-phase insulin responses (CPIRs) to specific sounds or times of the day that predict food availability. The present study asked whether mice can condition a CPIR to the flavor of sapid solutions that produce postoral glucose stimulation. To this end, we subjected C57BL/6 mice to one of six experimental protocols. We varied both the duration of the five training sessions (i.e., 23 h or 1 h) and the nature of the training solution. In Experiment 1, consumption of a 0.61% saccharin solution was paired with IG co-infusion of a 16% glucose solution. In Experiments 2-6, the mice consumed a training solution containing a mixture of 0.61% saccharin + 16% glucose, 32% sucrose, 32% maltodextrin, flavored 32% maltodextrin, or 16% maltodextrin. We subsequently asked whether consumption of any of these fluids conditioned a CPIR to a test solution that produced a similar flavor, but which did not elicit a CPIR in naïve mice. The mice did condition a CPIR, but only to the solutions containing 32% maltodextrin. We attribute this conditioning to postoral actions of the concentrated maltodextrin solutions.
Keywords: cephalic-phase insulin release; classical conditioning; glucose; maltodextrins; saccharin.