Infantile stimulation and perinatal administration of Ro 15-1788: additive anxiety-reducing effects in rats

Both postnatal handling of rat pups and perinatal treatment with Ro 15-1788 have been reported to reduce the emotional reactivity of the rats in adulthood, as measured by open field behavior, by the corticosterone response to stress, and by labyrinth and novelty-induced behaviors. We now report results obtained with a well-validated animal model of anxiety (i.e. the elevated plus-maze) that support and extend these previous findings. The results show the clearest reduction of anxiety-related behavior when postnatal handling and perinatal Ro 15-1788 administration were simultaneous.