Anxiety ethological models

Keywords Anxiety Animal model Behavioral phenotyping Ethological testing... 

This ethological model of anxiety measures the activity and time spent in brightly lit vs. dark compartments of the apparatus and is based on the animal s innate desire to explore novel areas (5, 12). Anxious mice exhibit a profound preference for the dark area and display fewer exploratory behaviors (e.g., horizontal activity, vertical rears or wall leans) in the light. Increased duration of time spent in the light area and more exploratory behaviors can be seen following anxiolytic drug administration. 

Liebsch G, Linthorst ACE, Neumann ID, Reul JMHM, Holsboer F, Landgraf R (1998) Behavioral, physiological, and neuroendocrine stress responses and differential sensitivity to diazepam in two Wistar rat lines selectively bred for high and low anxiety-related behavior. Neuropsychopharmacology 19 381-396 Lister RG (1990) Ethologically based animal models of anxiety disorders. Pharmacol Ther 46 321-340... 

Weiss SM, Wadsworth G, Fletcher A, Dourish CT (1998) Utility of ethological analysis to overcome locomotor confoimds in elevated maze models of anxiety. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 23 265-271... 

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