title: Experimental anxiety and antiepileptics: the effects of valproate and vigabatrin in the mirrored chamber test.
abstract: The potential anxiolytic-like effects of valproate (VPA; 200, 300 and 400 mg/kg i.p.) and vigabatrin (GVG; 150, 300 and 450 mg/kg i.p.) were evaluated in an experimental model of anxiety in mice. The mirrored chamber test was the model selected. In this study, anxiogenic-like behavior was induced by pretreatment with m-chlorophenylpiperazine hydrochloride (m-CPP; 1 mg/kg i.p.). For comparative purposes, the effects of an established reference anxiolytic, lorazepam (LOR; 0.025, 0.05 and 0.10 mg/kg i.p.) were also evaluated. Results showed that 2 weeks of repeated treatment with 200, 300 and 400 mg/kg of VPA or, to a lesser extent, 300 and 450 mg/kg i.p. of GVG, antagonized the anxiogenic effects of m-CPP. VPA induced behavioral changes very similar to those produced by lorazepam, i.e., a decrease in the latency time to enter the mirrored chamber and an increase in the time spent in the mirrored chamber. The anxiolytic-like potency of GVG was lower than that of VPA in this test. In conclusion, these data provide additional evidence for the anxiolytic-like effects of VPA and substantiate its role in the treatment of anxiety disorders and in the withdrawal state of ethanol or sedative-hypnotics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical, Morphological and Technological Sciences, Operative Clinical Unit of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy.
authors.forename: A Padovan
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Lang
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: de Angelis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004924:Escape Reaction / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D007274:Injections, Intraperitoneal; D008140:Lorazepam / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D051379:Mice; D010879:Piperazines; D044302:Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT1B; D044405:Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2C; D011985:Receptors, Serotonin / Q000187:drug effects; D017366:Serotonin Receptor Agonists; D014635:Valproic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D020888:Vigabatrin / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D000927:Anticonvulsants; D010879:Piperazines; D044302:Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT1B; D044405:Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2C; D011985:Receptors, Serotonin; D017366:Serotonin Receptor Agonists; D014635:Valproic Acid; D020888:Vigabatrin; D008140:Lorazepam; C015068:1-(3-chlorophenyl)piperazine