title: Models of anxiety: ultrasonic vocalizations of isolated rat pups.
abstract: Described in this unit is the ultrasonic distress vocalization test in rat pups. This test is a reliable method for detecting anxiolytic properties of test compounds. In this test, ultrasonic vocalizations (30 to 50 kHz) are elicited by separating rat pups of 9 to 11 days of age from their mother and littermates for a brief period of time. The test can be performed under two different stress conditions. Pups are placed in isolation in either a warm (37°C) or cold (18°C) environment for 5 min. The total number and duration of ultrasonic calls emitted by the pups during this period is used as an index of anxiety. Established anxiolytic compounds, including benzodiazepines, serotonin(1A) receptor agonists, and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), consistently reduce the number and cumulative duration of these ultrasonic distress vocalizations.
authors.affiliation: Psychopharmacology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences and Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Lucianne
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Groenink
authors.forename: P Monika
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Verdouw
authors.forename: Ruud
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: van Oorschot
authors.forename: Berend
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Olivier
mesh_terms: D000822:Animal Husbandry / Q000379:methods; D000818:Animals; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D003080:Cold Temperature; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D006358:Hot Temperature; D008297:Male; D009068:Movement; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects; D014465:Ultrasonics / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D014828:Vocalization, Animal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents