Adjunctive drinking and the pituitary-adrenal response: effects of prior aversive stimulation (preshock).

Two groups of rats were exposed to an intermittent food schedule which induced polydipsia. One group of rats had previously been exposed to inescapable shock. This group showed reduced amounts of polydipsia, and the polydipsia was ineffective in reducing arousal levels (relative to those of the control group), as indexed by plasma corticosterone levels.