Abstract
test battery is proposed for wall lizards (Tropidurus oreadicus) that consists of inducing tonic immobility (TI) followed by post-TI behavioral scoring. After the induction of TI, the usual behavioral sequence was flight followed by freezing and tongue-flicking and/or thigmotaxis, with flight being more probable than freezing. These sequences were not observed after restraint in a normal upward position (which induced freezing but not TI) or after handling (which increased the probability of tongue-flicking). Alprazolam and imipramine selectively decreased the duration of TI as well as the following flight and freezing behavior. Tongue-flicking was increased by diazepam and alprazolam, whereas fluoxetine decreased it. Finally, thigmotaxis was reduced by diazepam, alprazolam, and imipramine but increased by fluoxetine. These results suggest that panic and anxiety can be discriminated pharmacologically in wall lizards.
Highlights
Fear and anxiety are labels given to patterns of behavioral and neurovegetative adjustments that are associated with antipredator defense (Kavaliers & Choleris, 2001; McNaughton & Corr, 2004)
These effects demonstrate the pharmacological validity of such models because they mirror the sensitivity of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) vs. panic disorder
GAD and its animal models are susceptible to treatment with the 5-hydroxytryptamine-1A receptor partial agonist buspirone, but this drug is ineffective in the treatment of panic disorder (PD)
Summary
Fear and anxiety are labels given to patterns of behavioral and neurovegetative adjustments that are associated with antipredator defense (Kavaliers & Choleris, 2001; McNaughton & Corr, 2004). Fear/panic and anxiety can be dissociated from an anatomical (McNaughton & Corr, 2004; McNaughton & Zangrossi, 2008; Panksepp, 2006) and pharmacological (Blanchard, Griebel, & Blanchard, 2001; Blanchard, Griebel, Henrie, & Blanchard, 1997) point of view. These effects demonstrate the pharmacological validity of such models because they mirror the sensitivity of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) vs panic disorder (PD) to different drugs. Chronic treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors is effective in the treatment of both disorders (Barlow, 2002)
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