Anxiolytic-like effects of selective mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid antagonists on fear-enhanced behavior in the elevated plus-maze

• Published in: Psychoneuroendocrinology Vol. 20; no. 4; pp. 385 - 394
• Main Authors: Korte, S.M., De Boer, S.F., De Kloet, E.R., Bohus, B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 1995; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Anxiety; Anxiety - physiopathology; Behavior, Animal - drug effects; Behavior, Animal - physiology; Behavioral psychophysiology; Biological and medical sciences; Fear - drug effects; Fear - physiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Glucocorticoid; Hormones and behavior; Immobility; Injections, Intraventricular; Male; Maze Learning - drug effects; Maze Learning - physiology; Mifepristone - administration & dosage; Mifepristone - pharmacology; Mineralocorticoid; Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists - administration & dosage; Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists - pharmacology; Plus-maze; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Receptor; Receptors, Glucocorticoid - antagonists & inhibitors; Receptors, Glucocorticoid - physiology; Receptors, Mineralocorticoid - physiology; Spironolactone - administration & dosage; Spironolactone - analogs & derivatives; Spironolactone - pharmacology; Stress, Physiological - physiopathology; Immobility; Anxiety; Mineralocorticoid; Receptor; Glucocorticoid; Plus-maze; Affect affectivity; Rat; Rodentia; Central nervous system; Male; Dose activity relation; Fear; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Animal; Intracerebral administration; Antagonist; Brain (vertebrata); Biological receptor
• ISSN: 0306-4530; 1873-3360
• DOI: 10.1016/0306-4530(94)00069-7

The effects of intracerebroventricular (ICV) administration of the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) antagonist, RU28318, and the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) antagonist, RU38486, were studied on behavior of rats exposed to a compartment previously associated with a stressor, and placed subsequently in an elevated plus-maze test. Fear-motivated immobility behavior was attenuated by the MR antagonist in a dose of 50 or 100 ng ICV, whereas the GR antagonist alone or simultaneous administration of both antagonists had no significant effect. In the elevated plus-maze, immediately after the exposure to the conditioned stressor, both the GR antagonist (50 ng) and MR antagonist (50 ng) increased the percentage of time the rats spent on open arms, and increased the amount of entries into these open arms. These data are interpretated in terms of the involvement of the GR and MR in fear and anxiety.