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(Reference retrieved automatically from SciELO through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

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

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Author(s):
Simone H. Pinheiro [1] ; Hélio Zangrossi-Jr. [2] ; Cristina M. Del-Ben [3] ; Frederico G. Graeff [4]
Total Authors: 4
Affiliation:
[1] Universidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto. Hospital das Clínicas - Brasil
[2] Universidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto. Departamento de Farmacologia - Brasil
[3] Universidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto. Hospital das Clínicas - Brasil
[4] Universidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto. Hospital das Clínicas - Brasil
Total Affiliations: 4
Document type: Journal article
Source: Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências; v. 79, n. 1, p. 71-85, 2007-03-00.
Abstract

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 MEDLINE 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. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 02/13197-2 - Participation of glutamate and nitric oxide on the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatry disorders
Grantee:Francisco Silveira Guimaraes
Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants