Journal
PHYSIOLOGY & BEHAVIOR
Volume 72, Issue 1-2, Pages 99-106Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/S0031-9384(00)00388-7
Keywords
elevated plus-maze; biological rhythms; rat
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Pre-clinical models of anxiety, particularly the elevated plus-maze (EPM), have been shown to be sensitive to a variety of methodological variations. Recent research has implicated circadian phase of testing in influencing the behavioural profile of 5-HT1A ligands on the EPM. The present study investigated the effects of testing animals during the dark and light phases and in light and subjective dark test conditions on baseline behaviour in animal models of anxiety. Eighty singly housed male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to a battery of unconditioned, exploratory tests (EPM, open-field arena, holeboard) and a new model of extreme anxiety, the unstable elevated exposed plusmaze (UEEPM). Circadian phase of testing failed to consistently alter behaviour on any model. Level of test illumination had no effect on subjects' response to the open-field arena, holeboard or UEEPM. Dark testing increased locomotor activity on the EPM (total arm entries, closed ann entries acid distance moved) without decreasing open-arm avoidance. The construct of anxiety as measured by a number of different paradigms withstood major intra-laboratory manipulation of circadian phase of testing and illumination of apparatus. II is suggested that the effects of circadian rhythmicity may be confined to the behavioural profiles of serotonergic, particularly S-HT1A, ligands on the EPM. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available