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Related Experiment Videos

Conditioned defensive burying as a model for identifying anxiolytics.

R M Craft1, J L Howard, G T Pollard

  • 1Department of Pharmacology, Burroughs Wellcome Co., Research Triangle Park, NC 27709.

Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior
|July 1, 1988
PubMed
Summary

The conditioned defensive burying (CDB) test in rats, proposed for screening anxiolytics, showed limited drug-class specificity. Some drugs suppressed burying behavior, but not always distinctly from general activity reduction.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Pharmacology
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Conditioned defensive burying (CDB) in rats, triggered by aversive stimuli, is a model for anxiety.
  • Anxiolytic drugs are known to suppress CDB, leading to its use as a screening tool.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the specificity of the CDB test for identifying anxiolytic drugs.
  • To assess the effects of various drug classes on CDB behavior in rats.

Main Methods:

  • Rats were exposed to an electric shock, and their burying behavior was observed.
  • The effects of chlordiazepoxide, meprobamate, buspirone, imipramine, morphine, and chlorpromazine on CDB were tested at different dosages.
  • General locomotor activity was monitored to differentiate between specific burying suppression and general activity reduction.

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Main Results:

  • Chlordiazepoxide, meprobamate, imipramine, and morphine significantly suppressed CDB.
  • Chlordiazepoxide's suppression of CDB occurred only at a dose that also reduced general activity.
  • Buspirone and chlorpromazine did not suppress CDB at doses that affected general activity.

Conclusions:

  • The CDB test, as applied in this study, lacks drug-class specificity for anxiolytics.
  • Distinguishing between specific suppression of burying and general activity reduction is crucial for interpreting CDB test results.
  • Further refinement of the CDB test methodology is needed for reliable anxiolytic screening.