Enhanced anxiety follows withdrawal from subchronic exposure to phencyclidine in rats.

Publication Type:

Journal Article

Authors:

Audet, Marie-Claude; Sonia Goulet; Doré, François Y

Source:

Behav Brain Res, Volume 176, Issue 2, p.358-61 (2007)

Keywords:

Animals, Anxiety, Behavior, Animal, Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists, Head, Male, Phencyclidine, Posture, Rats, Rats, Sprague-Dawley, Reaction Time, Substance Withdrawal Syndrome

Abstract:

<p>Anxiety was assessed in rats treated with 5mg/kg of PCP bid for 7 days. One week after withdrawal, measures were collected in the light/dark apparatus and during exposure to a cat odor. PCP decreased time spent in the lit area and number of contacts with a cat collar. PCP thus amplified rats' fear of unprotected environments and predatory threats, which seems compatible with the distorted emotional experience in human schizophrenia.</p>