Abstract
Freezing behavior is a fearful reaction to specific stimuli, most commonly observed by animals. One of the neurotransmission system most consistently linked with fear response is the GABAergic system, in which GABA through GABAA receptor can influence fear response. The aim of the present investigation was to examine the effect of IP injection of muscimol (GABAA agonist) and bicuculline (GABAA antagonist) with and without EMF exposure on the frequency of fear response. Fifty adult male rats weighing 180-200 g were used. Animals were divided in ten groups, of which five groups were exposed to ELF-EMF for 30 days at 8 h day-1 in a solenoid, creating an electromagnetic field of 500 µT by a 50Hz electrical current created. Animals were then treated with various doses of muscimol and bicuculline before being exposed to electrical shock. Each animal were received 100 electrical shocks every session. After shock induction, the fear response was determined by monitoring the reaction of shocked animals to a normal rat which was placed in the electroshock chamber. Data were analyzed by Mann-Whitney test and p
Highlights
The fear response was determined by monitoring the reaction of shocked animals to a normal rat which was placed in the electroshock chamber
It was shown that injection of muscimol at 0.5 mg kg−1 in group with and without EMF exposure, significantly decreased the frequency of fear response but muscimol at 2 mg kg−1 only in group exposed to EMF significantly decreased frequency of fear response
IP injection of muscimol at both doses in animals exposed to EMF significantly (p
Summary
This has raised some concerns about the effects of ELF-EMF on human. It has been shown that there is disruption in the frequency (50 Hz) Electromagnetic Field (ELF-EMF) activity of serotonergic, dopaminergic and GABAergic has extensively been increased and seems to have a system in social fear animal models (Li et al, 2001). Taherianfard, M. et al / Current Research in Psychology 4 (1): 1-5, 2013 of muscimol produces an expected inhibitory effect on the anxiety-related responses and freezing whereas these injections into the inferior colliculus produce quite opposite (Reimer et al, 2008). Bicuculline microinjection in the medial hypothalamus causes panic-like responses in laboratory animals and the elaborated escape behavior organized in both dorsomedial and ventromedial hypothalamic nuclei followed by significant innate-fear-induced antinociception (Freitas et al, 2009). Pentylentertrazol (GABAA antagonist) at dose of 30 mg kg−1 significantly decreases freezing reaction (Zienowicz et al, 2007)
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