title: The effect of oxcarbazepine on behavioural despair and learned helplessness.
abstract: The effect of oxcarbazepine was evaluated in two tests of depression (forced swimming and learned helplessness) and in the open-field test. Acute (three times over 24 h) oxcarbazepine 80 mg/kg (but not 40 mg/kg) decreased immobility time in the forced swimming test. In the learned helplessness test, 4 days of treatment with oxcarbazepine 80 mg/kg reversed the deficits induced by foot-shock in rats submitted to the two-way active avoidance test. Oxcarbazepine 80 mg/kg did not modify the behaviour of rats in the open-field test, an indication that, at this dose, oxcarbazepine did not show a locomotor stimulatory effect. Thus, the data of the present study suggest that oxcarbazepine has a potential antidepressive effect.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Fisiologia e Farmacologia do Sistema Nervoso Central, Departamento de Farmacologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Beijamini
authors.forename: L L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Skalisz
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Joca
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Andreatini
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D002220:Carbamazepine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D003863:Depression / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006380:Helplessness, Learned; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D000078330:Oxcarbazepine; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants; D002220:Carbamazepine; D000078330:Oxcarbazepine