[Possible mechanisms for forming typological features of behavior of WAG/Rij line rats]

Typological behavior reactions of WAG/Rij rats were studied from the standpoint of divergent modulatory integration hypothesis. This rat strain has a genetically determined dominant dysfunction of the benzodiazepine system of the thalamic nuclei. This disorder provokes an epileptiform disease such as absence epilepsy. It was suggested that the dysfunction of this system would result in a modification of the modulatory systems, which support the motivation states of escape and avoidance reactions as well as of the modulatory systems, which form the emotional states. Modifications of these states are the background of typological behavioral features of WAG/Rij rats. It was shown that WAG/Rij have the lower threshold of the development of haloperidol catalepsy, higher levels of fear and depression. On the first day of training in a shuttle box, WAG/Rij rats demonstrated better avoidance performance than Wistar rats. On the second and 28th days, the amnestic effect of the epileptiform disease was observed. The amnestic effect was also observed after passive avoidance conditioning. The results are discussed in terms of the modulatory integratin hypothesis.