title: T-pattern analysis of diazepam-induced modifications on the temporal organization of rat behavioral response to anxiety in hole board.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  By means of t-pattern analysis, it has been observed that the different events, characterizing rat behavior in hole board (HB), present close interrelationships which occur sequentially and with significant constraints on the interval lengths separating them.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of present research was to study, by means of descriptive and multivariate t-pattern analyses, the effects of the reference anxiolytic drug diazepam (DZP) on temporal structure of a rat's anxiety-related behavior in HB.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-six male Wistar rats were tested for 10 min in HB. Video files, collected for each animal, were coded by means of a software coder, and event log files, generated for each subject, were analyzed by means of a specific software for temporal pattern analysis (t-pattern analysis).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant diazepam-induced modifications were observed for durations of walking, climbing, edge-sniff, and face grooming. Dose-dependent decreases of t-patterns' total amount, of their mean occurrences and of their mean length for each group were detected. Also, t-patterns' mean occurrences, in terms of different composition, were reduced. Percent distributions showed a significant increase of t-patterns including walking for all administered groups, and significant reductions of t-patterns including climbing, immobile sniffing, and edge-sniff. Front-paw licking and face grooming were reduced at the higher DZP dose.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Present study demonstrates, for the first time, that the temporal structure of Wistar rats' behavioral response to anxiety in HB changes following pharmacological manipulation of anxiety condition. Moreover, t-pattern analysis is suggested to represent a useful tool to evaluate and compare different classes of anti-anxiety molecules.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Human Physiology Section, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy. m.casarrubea@unipa.it
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Casarrubea
authors.forename: Filippina
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sorbera
authors.forename: Magnus S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Magnusson
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Crescimanno
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D035841:Behavioral Research / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003975:Diazepam / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D003975:Diazepam