ArticlePloS one2013
Why can't rodents vomit? A comparative behavioral, anatomical, and physiological study.
Article in PloS one, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 106 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
106 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 211 citations in OpenAlex.
- Systematic review of the impact of ginger extract and alpinetin on pregnancy outcomes in animal models.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2025Pooled it
- Guidelines for assessing maternal cardiovascular physiology during pregnancy and postpartum.American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology · 2024Guideline
- Systematic Review of Binge Eating Rodent Models for Developing Novel or Repurposing Existing Pharmacotherapies.Biomolecules · 2023Pooled it
- The immunological landscape of the area postrema in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders.Brain pathology (Zurich, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- From bench to bedside: relevant animal models across the migraine attack phases.The journal of headache and pain · 2026Review
- Early Permian terrestrial apex predator regurgitalite indicates opportunistic feeding behaviour.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- What goes down may come up: regurgitative behaviors and their underlying gut-brain axes-insights from genetic models and related pathologies.Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology · 2026Review
- TTD expert consensus on emesis in gastric cancer: evidence-based strategies for prevention and treatment.Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico · 2026Review
- Effects of Intraoral, Intracrop, and Intragastric Administration of Copper Sulfate on Vomiting, Retching Behavior, and Nausea-Like Responses in Chicks.The journal of poultry science · 2026Article
- Intraperitoneal Injection of Cisplatin Induces Nausea-Like Responses without Vomiting in Chicks (The journal of poultry science · 2026Article
- Review
- Apomorphine is a novel necroptosis inhibitor targeting mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein oligomerization.Cell death discovery · 2025Article
- Sensory signals for nausea.Trends in neurosciences · 2025Review
- Molecular and neural basis of vomiting behavior inScience advances · 2025Article
- Examining the biological causes of eating disorders to inform treatment strategies.Nature reviews. Neuroscience · 2025Review
- Hypophagia and body weight loss by tirzepatide are accompanied by fewer GI adverse events compared to semaglutide in preclinical models.Science advances · 2025Article
- Cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases as drug targets.Pharmacological reviews · 2025Review
- Vestibular neurons link motion sickness, behavioural thermoregulation and metabolic balance in mice.Nature metabolism · 2025Article
- Article
- Neural pathways of nausea and roles in energy balance.Current opinion in neurobiology · 2025Review
46 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
9 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
The vomiting (emetic) reflex is documented in numerous mammalian species, including primates and carnivores, yet laboratory rats and mice appear to lack this response. It is unclear whether these rodents do not vomit because of anatomical constraints (e.g., a relatively long abdominal esophagus) or lack of key neural circuits. Moreover, it is unknown whether laboratory rodents are representative of Rodentia with regards to this reflex. Here we conducted behavioral testing of members of all three major groups of Rodentia; mouse-related (rat, mouse, vole, beaver), Ctenohystrica (guinea pig, nutria), and squirrel-related (mountain beaver) species. Prototypical emetic agents, apomorphine (sc), veratrine (sc), and copper sulfate (ig), failed to produce either retching or vomiting in these species (although other behavioral effects, e.g., locomotion, were noted). These rodents also had anatomical constraints, which could limit the efficiency of vomiting should it be attempted, including reduced muscularity of the diaphragm and stomach geometry that is not well structured for moving contents towards the esophagus compared to species that can vomit (cat, ferret, and musk shrew). Lastly, an in situ brainstem preparation was used to make sensitive measures of mouth, esophagus, and shoulder muscular movements, and phrenic nerve activity-key features of emetic episodes. Laboratory mice and rats failed to display any of the common coordinated actions of these indices after typical emetic stimulation (resiniferatoxin and vagal afferent stimulation) compared to musk shrews. Overall the results suggest that the inability to vomit is a general property of Rodentia and that an absent brainstem neurological component is the most likely cause. The implications of these findings for the utility of rodents as models in the area of emesis research are discussed.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.