title: Animal models of anxiety and anxiolytic drug action.
abstract: Animal models of anxiety attempt to represent some aspect of the etiology, symptomatology, or treatment of human anxiety disorders, in order to facilitate their scientific study. Within this context, animal models of anxiolytic drug action can be viewed as treatment models relevant to the pharmacological control of human anxiety. A major purpose of these models is to identify novel anxiolytic compounds and to study the mechanisms whereby these compounds produce their anxiolytic effects. After a critical analysis of "face," "construct," and "predictive" validity, the biological context in which animal models of anxiety are to be evaluated is specified. We then review the models in terms of their general pharmacological profiles, with particular attention to their sensitivity to 5-HTIA agonists and antidepressant compounds. Although there are important exceptions, most of these models are sensitive to one or perhaps two classes of anxiolytic compounds, limiting their pharmacological generality somewhat, but allowing in depth analysis of individual mechanisms of anxiolytic drug action (e.g., GABAA agonism). We end with a discussion of possible sources of variability between models in response to 5-HTIA agonists and antidepressant drugs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Division of Neuroscience, University of Alberta, P-449 Biological Sciences Building, Edmonton, AB, Canada T6G 2E9. dtreit@ualberta.ca
authors.forename: Dallas
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Treit
authors.forename: Elif
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Engin
authors.forename: Kris
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: McEown
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D005239:Fear / Q000187:drug effects*; D058785:GABA-A Receptor Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D013216:Reflex, Startle / Q000187:drug effects; D058825:Serotonin 5-HT1 Receptor Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D058785:GABA-A Receptor Agonists; D058825:Serotonin 5-HT1 Receptor Agonists