Pantothenic Acid Deprivation and Thermal Behavior of the Rat

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Abstract
After preliminary training in the Skinner box, during which they learned to activate a heat lamp by pressing a lever, sixteen albino rats were separated into two equal groups. One was put on a pantothenate-enriched diet (2 mg daily). The other was put on a pantothenate-deficient diet. The frequency of heat-reinforced responses in an ambient temperature of 0° C was recorded for a period of four weeks, during which the animals were in the Skinner box for four hours per week. When differences in response rate did not appear at the end of this time, both groups were submitted to a starvation diet. This resulted in a marked increase in frequency of responding for both groups, with the rate for the pantothenate-deprived group being significantly greater. It was concluded that food and pantothenate-deprived animals are more sensitive to cold than animals deprived only of food.