One-way avoidance learning and diazepam in female roman high-avoidance and low-avoidance rats.
The goal of this experiment was to study the influence of the time spent in the safe compartment (30 vs. 1 s) and of an intraperitoneal injection of diazepam (1 mg/kg vs. vehicle) on one-way avoidance learning, in inbred female roman high-avoidance and roman low-avoidance rats. Rats learned to run from a danger compartment, where they received a warning signal (88 dB tone) followed by a 1 mA electric footshock, to a safe compartment, where these stimuli were not presented. The number of trials needed to reach 10 consecutive avoidance responses was the dependent variable. Roman low-avoidance rats exposed to 1 s in the safe compartment showed poorer performance than their roman high-avoidance counterparts. These differences were not observed in rats exposed to 30 s in the safe place, and were abolished by the injection of diazepam. These results suggest the importance of fear and reinforcement in one-way avoidance learning and its usefulness for studying emotional processes underlying genetic or pharmacological manipulations.
Torres
Carmen
C
Department of Psychology, University of Jaén, Spain. mctorres@ujaen.es
Escarabajal
Ma Dolores
MD
Cándido
Antonio
A
de la Torre
Lourdes
L
Gómez
Ma José
MJ
Maldonado
Antonio
A
Tobeña
Adolf
A
Fernández-Teruel
Alberto
A
D000818:Animals; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D003975:Diazepam / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004597:Electroshock; D005239:Fear / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D007274:Injections, Intraperitoneal; D051381:Rats; D013045:Species Specificity
D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D003975:Diazepam