Ontogeny of oral behavior induced by tail pinch and electrical stimulation of the tail in rats

In sated adult rats, a mild tail pinch induces stimulation-bound eating. Experiment 1 showed that during preweaning development the response to tail pinch changes in (a) type, from mouth opening to licking, gnawing, and eating; (b) duration, from intermittent to stimulation-bound; (c) direction, from indiscriminate licking to focused on food pellets; and (3) intensity of stimulation required to elicit it, from high to low. These changes were …