Alcohol interacts with flavor during extinction of conditioned taste aversion

Intraperitoneal injections of ethanol (1.2 g/kg) given 30 min before taste-aversion extinction trials retarded extinction of aversion to a quinine-hydrochloride solution, did not affect extinction of aversions to sucrose or hydrochloric-acid solutions, but facilitated extinction of aversion to a sodium-chloride solution. These results do not support the general belief that ethanol retards extinction, but seem more consistent with the suggestion that IP injection of ethanol produces a taste which interacts with the tastes of orally ingested substances. Some implications of this possibility for the study of pharmacological agents on conditioned taste aversion are discussed.