Effects of antianxiety drugs on the food intake in trained and untrained rats and mice (author's transl)

Abstract

Various minor tranquilizers (benzodiazepines, barbiturates and meprobamate) induced an increase in the food intake of rats or mice. Drugs were injected i.p. 30 min before testing and the amount of food consumed during 30 min was recorded. The enhanced food consumption occurred when the animals were in a novel situation, in a situation which they had previously experienced, or in their home cage, in which they were used to eating in the daytime within 30 min. Studies with two benzodiazepines showed this effect to be maximal between 10 to 30 min after injection and to disappear 4 hrs after injection. Moreover, minor tranquilizers reduce the latency before eating of rats and mice tested in a new situation. These results and the observation of anti-anxiety drugs-induced hyperphagia in satiated animals suggest that: 1. The enhanced food consumption of a non familiar food in a novel situation induced by the minor tranquilizers could hardly be related only to their anti-anxiety action. 2. The existence of some inhibitory controls (endogenous satiety in daytime or satiety after recent absorption) is not essential for the action of the minor tranquilizers. 3. An increased motivation and a disruption in the food related behavior could possibly be an explanation for all the observed effects.