Food avoidance learning based on entirely voluntary wheel running in laboratory mice (Mus musculus)

• Intake of novel food increased over days in mice. Allowing the mice to voluntarily run open wheels suppressed this increase. The suppression was specific paired with voluntary running. This learning occurs without imposed pretraining running closed wheels. Pretraining wheels, however, might facilitates learning. Previous studies (Nakajima, 2019a,b) demonstrated avoidance based on wheel laboratory mice: Consumption a target snack becomes if it is repeatedly an opportunity activity wheel. kind Pavlovian conditioning, because snack. For example, experiment, were initially trained Then, access one two kinds snacks (cheese or raisins, counterbalanced) followed by confinement large pet cage wheel, while other not. After several repetitions these types trials, differentiation consumption between emerged: intake unpaired gradually days, increase attenuated for running-paired present study replicated emphasizing intrinsic capacity establish avoidance. results somewhat suggest that running-based avoidance, but effect too weak draw clear conclusion.