Effects of anxiolytic drugs on some behavioral consequences in olfactory bulbectomized rats

The present study was designed to evaluate the effects of bulbectomy and acute administration of anxiolytic drugs (diazepam, 10 mg/kg; chlordiazepoxide, 10 mg/kg) on the behavior of both sham-operated and olfactory bulbectomized rats in two tests predictive of anxiolytic activity: plus-maze test and Vogel's conflict test. We investigated also the effect of flumazenil (10 mg/kg), a benzodiazepine receptors antagonist, both on control and drug-treated animals. We also evaluated behavior of animals in conditioned place aversion procedure. Our results show the decreased level of anxiety in bulbectomized animals comparing with sham-operated rats. Anxiolytic drugs further deepen this effect.