Effect of the extract of dry Serratula centauroides on the behavior of white rats in tests with positive reinforcement

Abstract

The effect was studied of dry leaf extract of Serratula centauroides L. on the behavior of white rats (Wistar) in tests with positive reinforcement. It was revealed that the extract of S. centauroides at doses of 50200 mg/kg promotes in animals a decrease in the level of anxiety, adaptation to unfamiliar conditions, and as a consequence, to an increase in the volume of food intake. And also a more rapid formation of a conditioned reflex with positive reinforcement. In animals treated with S. centauroides extract, the volume of food taken in hypophagia test was 1.42.7 times higher than the control value. In the T-shaped maze, 5080% of the animals in the experimental groups developed a conditioned reflex to positive reinforcement, while none of the animals in the control group reached the learning criterion. The S. centauroides extract showed the most pronounced effect on the behavior of animals in tests with positive reinforcement at a dose of 100 mg/kg.