Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 19, 2026
Anticipatory Food-Reward Elicitation of Appetitive Ultrasonic Vocalizations in Laboratory Rats and Mice
Published on: July 3, 2026
Role of cholecystokinin type B receptors in ultrasound induced behavior in rats
M Voits1, S R Beckett, C A Marsden
1Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical Faculty (Charité), Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany. voits@charite.de
Abstract:
The cholecystokinin-tetrapeptide (CCK-4) can induce panic attacks in humans. The present study investigates the effects of CCK-4 and the CCK-B receptor antagonist L-365.260 on ultrasound induced defense behavior in the rat that may model the unconditioned aspects of panic behavior in man. CCK-4 (50 microg/kg) increased the defense response induced by ultrasound (95 dB) an effect prevented by pretreatment with L-365.260 (10 microg/kg). Compared with other antipanic/panicogenic drugs the effects of CCK-4 and L-365.260 were relatively small. In conclusion, drugs acting at the CCK-B receptor appear to have only a minor role in the modulation of an unconditioned aversive response.
