Abstract
Rats given one or two 5-min trials in the elevated plus-maze had plasma corticosterone concentrations significantly higher than the home cage control group and there was no sign of habituation in the group given two trials. In rats given two plus-maze trials the corticosterone responses were significantly higher in the group given 10-min rather than 5-min trials. A previous experience of cat odour (1 week earlier) has no effect on the plasma corticosterone response, but did have an anxiogenic effect that could be detected by a decrease in the percentage of time spent on the open arms of the plus-maze. The results are discussed with reference to the nature of anxiety generated by trials 1 and 2 and by the trial duration in the plus-maze, and with respect to dissociation between behavioural and endocrinological measures.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Almeida SS, de Oliveira LM, Graeff FG (1991) Early life protein malnutrition changes exploration of the elevated plus-maze and reactivity to anxiolytics. Psychopharmacology 103:513–518
Blanchard RS, Blanchard DC, Weiss SM, Meyer S (1990) The effects of ethanol and diazepam on reactions to predatory odors. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 35:775–780
Critchley MAE, Handley SL (1987) Effects in the X-maze anxiety model of agents acting at 5-HT1 and 5-HT2 receptors. Psychopharmacology 93:502–506
File SE (1982) The rat corticosterone response: habituation and modification by chlordiazepoxide. Psysiol Behav 29:91–95
File SE (1990) One-trial tolerance to the anxiolytic effects of chlordiazepoxide in the plus-maze. Psychopharmacology 100:281–282
File SE, Peet LA (1980) Sensitivity of the rat corticosterone response to environmental manipulations and to chronic chlordiazepoxide treatment. Physiol Behav 25:753–758
File SE, Zangrossi H (1993) “One-trial tolerance” to the anxiolytic actions of benzodiazepines in the elevated plus-maze, or the development of a phobic state? Psychopharmacology 110:240–244
File SE, Johnston AL, Baldwin HA (1988) Anxiolytic and anxiogenic drugs: changes in behaviour and endocrine responses. Stress Med 4:221–230
File SE, Mabbutt PS, Hitchcott PK (1990) Characteristation of the phenomenon of “one-trial tolerance” to the anxiolytic effect of chlordiazepoxide in the elevated plus-maze. Psychopharmacology 102:98–101
File SE, Zangrossi H, Viana M, Graeff FG (1993a) Trial 2 in the elevated plus-maze: a different form of fear? Psychopharmacology (in press)
File SE, Zangrossi H, Sanders FL, Mabbutt PS (1993b) Dissociation between behavioural and corticosterone responses on repeated exposures to cat odour. Physiol Behav (in press)
Lister RG (1987) The use of a plus-maze to measure anxiety in the mouse. Psychopharmacology 92:180–185
Mineka S (1985) Animal models of anxiety-bases disorders. In: Tuma AH, Maser JD (eds) Anxiety and anxiety disorders. Erlbaum, Hillsdale, pp 199–244
Murphy BEP (1967) Some studies of the protein-binding of steroids and their application to the routine micro and ultramicro measurement of various steroids in body fluids by competitive protein-binding radioassay. J Clin Endocrinol 27: 973–990
Pellow S, Chopin P, File SE, Briley M (1985) Validation of open: closed arm entries in an elevated plus-maze as a measure of anxiety in the rat. J Neurosci Methods 14:149–167
Rodgers RJ, Lee C, Shepherd JK (1992) Effects of diazepam on behavioural and antinociceptive responses to the elevated plus-maze in male mice depend upon treatment regimen and prior maze experience. Psychopharmacology 106:102–110
Zangrossi H, File SE (1992) Behavioural consequences in animal tests of anxiety and exploration of exposure to cat odor. Brain Res Bull 29:381–388
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
File, S.E., Zangrossi, H., Sanders, F.L. et al. Raised corticosterone in the rat after exposure to the elevated plus-maze. Psychopharmacology 113, 543–546 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02245237
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02245237