Abstract
The purpose of the study was to determine which stressor qualities (escapable vs. inescapable stress and unconditioned vs. conditioned stress) can potentiate fear in the elevated plus-maze. While inescapable stress potentiated fear, escapable stress did not, but escapable stress increased the locomotor activity (closed arm entries). Inescapable stress only potentiated fear when re-exposure to the former shock compartment, 24 h after footshock and without further footshock, took place just before to 90 min before testing in the elevated plus-maze. We conclude that fear-potentiation in the plus-maze depends on stressor controllability and contextual conditioning. Fear-potentiation was reduced by the anxiolytic diazepam (0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 mg/kg, s.c.) and was further enhanced by the anxiogenic DMCM (1.0 mg/kg, s.c.). The fear-potentiated plus-maze test may be a valuable tool in the search for novel anxiolytics and in the study of the neurobiology of fear-potentiation, fear conditioning and generalization of fear.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 27 - 40 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Stress |
Volume | 3 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Aug-1999 |
Keywords
- Animals
- Anti-Anxiety Agents
- Anxiety
- Avoidance Learning
- Carbolines
- Conditioning (Psychology)
- Conditioning, Classical
- Diazepam
- Electroshock
- Exploratory Behavior
- Fear
- Male
- Maze Learning
- Motor Activity
- Rats
- Rats, Wistar
- Stress, Psychological