Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
1-2
pubmed:dateCreated
2008-3-4
pubmed:abstractText
There is increasing evidence that developmental anomalies of cerebral asymmetry are involved in the etiology of psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, depression and anxiety. Thus, rodents with abnormal cerebral lateralization are interesting tools to study the association between such anomalies and behavioral dysfunction. The most studied indicator of cerebral asymmetry in the rat is that of circling or rotational behavior. We have recently described two rat mutants, ci2 and ci3, in which lateralized rotational behavior occurs either spontaneously or in response to external stimuli, such as new environment or handling. While cochlear and vestibular defects are found in 52 rats, ci3 rats do not exhibit any inner ear abnormalities. The abnormal motor response to external stimuli raised the possibility that the circling rat mutants may be more likely to express anxiety-related behavior in tests of emotionality. In the present study, we characterized anxiety-related behaviors of ci2 and ci3 rats in the open field, elevated plus-maze and light/dark exploration test. Furthermore, sensorimotor functions of these rats were evaluated by the rotarod, accelerod and wire hang tests. Heterozygous (ci2/+) littermates or rats of the respective background strains (LEW, BH.7A) were used as controls. In contrast to our expectation, both mutants demonstrated less anxiety-related behavior than controls in tests of emotionality. Ci3 rats exhibited normal sensorimotor functions, whereas marked impairment was observed in ci2 rats, which is most likely a consequence of the vestibular dysfunction in these animals. The acoustic startle response (ASR) and prepulse inhibition of ASR did not differ between ci3 rats and controls. The reduced emotionality of the mutant rats indicated by the present experiments may not be specifically linked to anxiety per se, but is maybe more reflective of impulsivity or the inability to normally perceive or process potentially threatening situations. Based on previous findings of dysfunctions of the central dopamine system in ci2 and ci3 mutant rats, we assume that alterations in dopaminergic activity are involved in the maladaptive behavior observed in the present study.
pubmed:commentsCorrections
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Jan
pubmed:issn
0031-9384
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:day
28
pubmed:volume
93
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
417-26
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed-meshheading:18320635-Acoustic Stimulation, pubmed-meshheading:18320635-Analysis of Variance, pubmed-meshheading:18320635-Animals, pubmed-meshheading:18320635-Anxiety, pubmed-meshheading:18320635-Exploratory Behavior, pubmed-meshheading:18320635-Female, pubmed-meshheading:18320635-Functional Laterality, pubmed-meshheading:18320635-Inhibition (Psychology), pubmed-meshheading:18320635-Male, pubmed-meshheading:18320635-Psychomotor Performance, pubmed-meshheading:18320635-Rats, pubmed-meshheading:18320635-Rats, Inbred Lew, pubmed-meshheading:18320635-Rats, Mutant Strains, pubmed-meshheading:18320635-Rotarod Performance Test, pubmed-meshheading:18320635-Rotation, pubmed-meshheading:18320635-Species Specificity, pubmed-meshheading:18320635-Startle Reaction, pubmed-meshheading:18320635-Statistics, Nonparametric
pubmed:year
2008
pubmed:articleTitle
Comparative analysis of anxiety-like behaviors and sensorimotor functions in two rat mutants, ci2 and ci3, with lateralized rotational behavior.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Pharmacy, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Comparative Study, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Corrected and Republished Article