Sex differences and effects of acute stress on flavor neophobia and conditioned taste aversion

This study investigates the interaction between biological sex and acute stress (forced swim) on flavor neophobia and the acquisition and extinction of Conditioned Taste Aversion (CTA) in laboratory rats. Using a 2 x 2 factorial design (Sex x Stress; N=32), we aim to test four specific hypotheses: (1) Females will display higher baseline neophobia than males; (2) Acute stress will enhance neophobia, potentially interacting with sex; (3) Males will exhibit stronger acquisition of CTA (retention) compared to females; and (4) Females will show faster extinction rates of the aversion. The study utilizes a standard CTA protocol with Lithium Chloride (LiCl) as the unconditioned stimulus and a novel banana + sugar flavor as the conditioned stimulus.