Effects of alpha-adrenoceptor agonists and antagonists in a maze-exploration model of ?fear?-motivated behaviour

Handley, Sheila L.; Mithani, Siddika

doi:10.1007/bf00504983

Cited by 877 publications

(394 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Both the elevated X-maze (Handley and Mithani 1984) and the elevated plus-maze (Pellow et al 1985) consist of two opposed arms enclosed by walls except at the central end. These closed arms are perpendicular to two open arms of equal dimensions, which are devoid of any wall.…”

Section: Elevated Mazesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Elevated mazes as animal models of anxiety: effects of serotonergic agents

Pinheiro

Zangrossi

Del-Ben

et al. 2007

An. Acad. Bras. Ciênc.

105

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This article reviews reported results about the effects of drugs that act upon the serotonergic neurotransmission measured in three elevated mazes that are animal models of anxiety. A bibliographic search has been performed in MED-LINE using different combinations of the key words X-maze, plus-maze, T-maze, serotonin and 5-HT, present in the title and/or the abstract, with no time limit. From the obtained abstracts, several publications were excluded on the basis of the following criteria: review articles that did not report original results, species other than the rat, intracerebral drug administration alone, genetically manipulated rats, and animals having any kind of experimental pathology. The reported results indicate that the effect of drugs on the inhibitory avoidance task performed in the elevated T-maze and on the spatio temporal indexes of anxiety measured in the X and plus mazes correlate with their effect in patients diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder. In contrast, the drug effects on the one-way escape task in the elevated T-maze predict the drug response of panic disorder patients. Overall, the drug effects assessed with the avoidance task in the T-maze are more consistent than those measured through the anxiety indexes of the X and plus mazes. Therefore, the elevated T-maze is a promising animal model of generalized anxiety and panic disorder.

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Section: Elevated Mazesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Elevated mazes as animal models of anxiety: effects of serotonergic agents

Pinheiro

Zangrossi

Del-Ben

et al. 2007

An. Acad. Bras. Ciênc.

105

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“…This test derives from the early observation that, in mazes consisting of open and closed alleys, rats consistently show higher levels of exploration in enclosed alleys and, when faced with a choice of alley type, typically avoid those without walls (42). Some 30 years later, this finding led to the first studies on the potential utility of an elevated 'X'-maze as a model of anxiety (43). Using a simple maze configuration, elevated 70 cm above floor level and comprising two open and two enclosed arms (like arms opposing one another), these authors not only confirmed that rats avoid the open arms but also demonstrated that open arm avoidance is reduced by diazepam and enhanced by picrotoxin (an anxiogenic agent).…”

Section: The Elevated Plus-mazementioning

confidence: 99%

Animal models of anxiety: an ethological perspective

Rodgers¹,

Cao²,

Dalvi³

et al. 1997

Braz J Med Biol Res

533

244

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In the field of anxiety research, animal models are used as screening tools in the search for compounds with therapeutic potential and as simulations for research on mechanisms underlying emotional behaviour. However, a solely pharmacological approach to the validation of such tests has resulted in distinct problems with their applicability to systems other than those involving the benzodiazepine/GABA A receptor complex. In this context, recent developments in our understanding of mammalian defensive behaviour have not only prompted the development of new models but also attempts to refine existing ones. The present review focuses on the application of ethological techniques to one of the most widely used animal models of anxiety, the elevated plus-maze paradigm. This fresh approach to an established test has revealed a hitherto unrecognized multidimensionality to plus-maze behaviour and, as it yields comprehensive behavioural profiles, has many advantages over conventional methodology. This assertion is supported by reference to recent work on the effects of diverse manipulations including psychosocial stress, benzodiazepines, GABA receptor ligands, neurosteroids, 5-HT 1A receptor ligands, and panicolytic/panicogenic agents. On the basis of this review, it is suggested that other models of anxiety may well benefit from greater attention to behavioural detail.

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“…The elevated plus-maze is a widely used and extensively validated animal model of anxiety based on the natural aversion of rodents for open spaces and on the elevation of the maze (Handley and Mithani, 1984;Pellow et al, 1985).…”

Section: Elevated Plus-mazementioning

confidence: 99%

Stimulation of P2Y1 Receptors Causes Anxiolytic-like Effects in the Rat Elevated Plus-maze: Implications for the Involvement of P2Y1 Receptor-Mediated Nitric Oxide Production

Kittner

Franke

Fischer

et al. 2002

Neuropsychopharmacol

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(ADPbS), the P2X 1,3 receptor agonist a,b-methylene ATP (a,bmeATP), the unspecific P2 receptor antagonist pyridoxalphosphate-6-azopheny l-2 0 ,4 0 -disulfonic acid (PPADS), and the specific P2Y 1 receptor antagonist N 6 -methyl-2 0 -deoxyadenosine-3 0 ,5 0 -bisphosphate (MRS 2179) on the elevated plus-maze behavior of the rat were investigated. All tested compounds were given intracerebroventricularly (0.5 ml). ADPbS (50 and 500 fmol) produced an anxiolytic-like behavioral profile reflected by an increase of the open arm exploration. The anxiolytic-like effects were antagonized by pretreatment with PPADS (5 pmol) or MRS 2179 (5 pmol). Both compounds caused anxiogenic-like effects when given alone. Furthermore, the anxiolytic-like effects of ADPbS could be antagonized by pretreatment with the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor N w -nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME). In addition, the anxiogenic-like effects of PPADS were reversed by the pretreatment with L-arginine (500 pmol), which is the natural substrate for NOS, but not by D-arginine (500 pmol), which is not. Immunofluorescence staining revealed the presence of P2Y 1 receptors on neurons in different brain regions such as hypothalamus, amygdala, hippocampus and the periaqueductal gray. Furthermore, the colocalization of P2Y 1 receptors and neuronal NOS (nNOS) on some neurons in these regions could be demonstrated. The highest density of P2Y 1 -and nNOS-immunoreactivity was detected in the dorsomedial hypothalamic nucleus. Taken together, the present results suggest that P2Y 1 receptors are involved in the modulation of anxiety in the rat. The anxiolytic-like effects after stimulation of P2Y 1 receptors seem to be in close connection with the related nitric oxide production.

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Effects of alpha-adrenoceptor agonists and antagonists in a maze-exploration model of ?fear?-motivated behaviour

Cited by 877 publications

References 19 publications

Elevated mazes as animal models of anxiety: effects of serotonergic agents

Elevated mazes as animal models of anxiety: effects of serotonergic agents

Animal models of anxiety: an ethological perspective

Stimulation of P2Y1 Receptors Causes Anxiolytic-like Effects in the Rat Elevated Plus-maze: Implications for the Involvement of P2Y1 Receptor-Mediated Nitric Oxide Production

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