The effect of antidepressant drugs on dominance behavior in rats competing for food.
Wistar male rats were maintained on a regimen of restricted access to food. The animals were randomly paired and placed in a special apparatus containing the feeder constructed in such a manner that only one rat at a time could drink sweetened milk. The dominance-subordination (d-s) relationship developed in about 80% of the pairs. This was manifested by the dominant rat eating for a longer period of time than the submissive rat. Clonidine (0.1 mg/kg ip) given to the dominant rats abolished the stable d-s hierarchies. Tricyclic antidepressants and mianserin given for 5 consecutive days prevented the clonidine action. Yohimbine, the antagonist of alpha 2 adrenoceptors produced a similar effect. Drugs belonging to other groups (e.g. neuroleptics and anxiolytics) had no effect on the clonidine-induced suppression of dominance.
D000818:Animals; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic / Q000494:pharmacology; D003000:Clonidine / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D003163:Competitive Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008803:Mianserin / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D012930:Social Dominance / Q000187:drug effects*
D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic; D008803:Mianserin; D003000:Clonidine