title: Does rat global transient cerebral ischemia serve as an appropriate model to study emotional disturbances?
abstract: We used two validated psychopharmacological methods, the forced swimming test (FST 20 min and 5 min) and the elevated plus-maze (EPM), to quantify depression-like and anxiety-like behavior induced by transient global cerebral ischemia in the rat. We also validated use of these methods for the study of antidepressant (imipramine) and anti-anxiety drugs (diazepam). Twelve days after surgery to provoke transient global ischemia, spontaneous motor activity was 40% higher in ischemic rats than in sham-operated controls. Duration of immobility during the FST 20 min and 5 min was 28 and 30% shorter, respectively, than in controls. Treatment with imipramine (3 x 30 mg/kg i.p.) induced a significantly shorter duration of immobility during the FST 5 min, but with no difference between ischemia and control rats. The EPM demonstrated that ischemia did not induce any change in the six behavior parameters measured. Diazepam (1.5 mg/kg i.p.) induced significant anxiolytic effects which were similar in ischemic and sham-operated animals. Both tests failed to demonstrate perturbed performance but conversely, these findings did disclose the sensitivity of ischemia-exposed rats to the action of imipramine and diazepam, demonstrating the usefulness of these tests as psychopharmocological tools for evaluating the effect of psychotropics in the ischemic rat.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Pharmacologie, Faculté de Médecine, Université de Rennes 1, CS34317, 35043 Rennes, France.
authors.forename: Guy Bernard
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Bantsiele
authors.forename: Danièle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bentué-Ferrer
authors.forename: Noëlla
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Amiot
authors.forename: Hervé
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Allain
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bourin
authors.forename: Jean-Michel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Reymann
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001007:Anxiety / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D003863:Depression / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D003975:Diazepam / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007099:Imipramine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002546:Ischemic Attack, Transient / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013550:Swimming
chemical_list: D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic; D007099:Imipramine; D003975:Diazepam