Behavioural Effects in Mice of Subchronic Buspirone, Ondansetron and Tianeptine. II. The Elevated Plus-Maze

Antidepressants preferentially enhance habituation to novelty in the olfactory bulbectomized rat

“…The literature assessing the effects of both acute and chronic antidepressant administration in the plus maze has yielded contradictory results; while some studies have reported strong anxiolytic effects (Griebel et al 1994;Paslawski et al 1996), others have reported weak or no effects (Harro et al 1997;Rodgers et al 1997). Thus, the failure of antidepressant administration to influence anxiety measures in the present study is not without precedent.…”

Animal models of anxiety: an ethological perspective

“…In contrast, low doses of the noradrenaline-selective reuptake blocker, maprotiline, did produce a selective reduction in open arm avoidance (82), suggesting possible therapeutic application in anxiety and/or anxious-depression. Surprisingly, the atypical antidepressant, tianeptine, was seen to produce anxiogenic-like changes in behaviour following subchronic treatment in the plusmaze and social interaction paradigms (111). Although this finding would not be inconsistent with its presumed mechanism of action (enhancement of 5-HT reuptake), it is puzzling in view of its use (at least in France) as a prescription medication.…”

“…The utility of an animal model of anxiety rests not only in its ability to detect bidirectional changes in anxiety with established and putative anxiolytics/ anxiogenics, but also in i) excluding compounds that are either inactive or non-specific in behavioural action, and ii) highlighting novel (perhaps unexpected) drug effects that may provide fresh insights into mechanisms involved in the modulation of affective behaviour. Inactive compounds in the murine plus-maze include: the 5-HT 2A/C ligands, ritanserin and DOI (113); the 5-HT 3 receptor antagonists, ondansetron and WAY 100289 (111,114); the peripherally acting antimuscarinic, methyl scopolamine (115); and the dopamine D 1 receptor agonist, SKF38393 (116). Compounds found to produce behaviourally non-selective effects include the GABA B agonist (+)baclofen and the GABA reuptake blocker, No-711 (86); the α 2 -adrenoceptor agonist, clonidine (117); the neuroleptic, haloperidol (94); the D 1 receptor antagonist, SCH 23390 (116); and the D 3/ change induced by this agent was a marked increase in risk assessment, an action on more cognitively related, information-processing mechanisms seems probable.…”

Intermittent ethanol exposure increases long-lasting behavioral and neurochemical effects of MDMA in adolescent mice

“…The behavior displayed by the mice was video-recorded and later analyzed by a "blind" observer using a computerized method. The measurements recorded during the test period were frequency of entries and time and (Pellow and File 1986;Rodgers et al 1997).…”