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

Two seemingly non-specific stimuli, tail-pinch and electrical stimulation of the tail (EST), produce different responses to food in rats: tail-pinch induces eating whereas EST elicits licking of food pellets. However, even if administered several months earlier, prior tail-pinch changes the response to pellets during EST from licking to eating. If their tail is within reach, naive rats lick it rather than food pellets. However, they rarely …