1. The Rodent-versus-wild Snake Paradigm as a Model for Studying Anxiety- and Panic-like Behaviors: Face, Construct and Predictive Validities.
- Author
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Paschoalin-Maurin T, Dos Anjos-Garcia T, Falconi-Sobrinho LL, de Freitas RL, Coimbra JPC, Laure CJ, and Coimbra NC
- Subjects
- Alprazolam pharmacology, Animals, Anti-Anxiety Agents pharmacology, Dose-Response Relationship, Drug, Elapidae, Escape Reaction physiology, Limbic System drug effects, Limbic System metabolism, Limbic System pathology, Male, Mesocricetus, Paroxetine pharmacology, Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos metabolism, Anxiety drug therapy, Anxiety metabolism, Anxiety pathology, Models, Animal, Panic drug effects, Panic physiology, Panic Disorder diet therapy, Panic Disorder metabolism, Panic Disorder pathology, Predatory Behavior
- Abstract
Using an innovative approach to study the neural bases of psychiatric disorders, this study investigated the behavioral, morphological and pharmacological bases of panic attack-induced responses in a prey-versus-coral snake paradigm. Mesocricetus auratus was chronically treated with intraperitoneal administration of the selective serotonin uptake inhibitor paroxetine or the gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA)/benzodiazepine receptor agonist alprazolam at three different doses and were then confronted with a venomous coral snake (Micrurus frontalis, Reptilia, Elapidae). The threatened rodents exhibited defensive attention, flat back approaches, defensive immobility, and escape defensive responses in the presence of the venomous snake, followed by increases in Fos protein in limbic structure neurons. Chronic administration of both paroxetine and alprazolam decreased these responses with morphological correlates between the panicolytic effect of both drugs administered at the highest dose and decreases in Fos protein-immunolabeled perikarya found in the amygdaloid complex, hypothalamus and periaqueductal gray matter columns, which are structures that make up the encephalic aversion system. These findings provide face, construct and predictive validities of this new experimental model of anxiety- and panic attack-like behavioral responses displayed by threatened prey confronted with venomous coral snakes., (Copyright © 2017 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2018
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