Habituation to sham testing procedures modifies tail-flick latencies: Effects on nociception rather than vasomotor tone

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Abstract
Ated rats. At usual ambient temperatures (20 ± 1°C), tail temperatures fluctuated in accordance with the predictions of an on-off controller. There was an inverse correlation between the tail-flick latency and the temperature at the site of noxious stimulation. A similar correlation was found when the pre-stimulus temperature of the tip of the tail was held at temperatures ranging from 21°C to 35°C. Habituated animals exhibited a similar linear regression slope factor but lower latencies than novice animals at each temperature. We conclude (1) that tail-flick latency is determined partly by the pre-stimulus temperature at the site of noxious thermal stimulation, and (2) that the effects of habituation on tail-flick latency are more likely to be explained by differences in nociception than in regional vasomotor tone. ∗Correspondence to: Dr. R.J. Milne, Department of Physiology, University of Auckland, Private Bag, Auckland 1, New Zealand. Submitted February 20, 1989; revised and accepted April 26, 1989. © Lippincott-Raven Publishers....