Rat Pica Behavior for Elucidating the Genetic Mechanism in Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting

The genetic mechanisms of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) and the involvement of the catecholamine system in the brain have not been elucidated. Eating kaolin clay as a type of pica has been examined as an alternative behavior to emesis. Here, we evaluated changes in whole-transcriptome analysis in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) in a rat pica model as a surrogate behavior of PONV to elucidate the molecular genetic mechanisms of the development of PONV.