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Nociceptin/orphanin FQ induces simultaneously anxiolytic and amnesic effects in the mouse elevated T-maze task

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Abstract

Studies have shown a close relationship between anxiety and aversive memory processing, but few animal models are suitable for investigating the effects of a given compound on anxiety and memory simultaneously. A growing body of evidence suggests anxiolytic and amnesic effects of nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ). The mouse elevated T-maze (ETM) has been shown to detect the effects of drugs on anxiety and memory at the same time. In this study, the effects of intracerebroventricular N/OFQ injected before or immediately after training session were assessed in the ETM task. When pretraining injected, N/OFQ 0.1 nmol significantly decreased the latency to enter an open arm in the training session compared to control, which is suggestive of anxiolysis. In addition, N/OFQ (0.1 and 1 nmol) significantly reduced the latency to enter an open arm during the test session compared to control, thus suggesting memory impairments. However, when N/OFQ was administered posttraining, it did not affect memory retrieval. No alterations in locomotion were detected in N/OFQ-treated mice in the open field test. In conclusion, these findings are discussed considering the simultaneous anxiolytic and amnesic effects of N/OFQ.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by funds from the Brazilian National Council Research (grant no. 476832/2009-8 and 305742/2009-4 to EC Gavioli). L Asth was recipient of a MSc scholarship from the Brazilian National Research Council.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Behavioral Pharmacology Laboratory, Department of Biophysics and Pharmacology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Av. Senador Salgado Filho, s/n, Campus Universitário-Lagoa Nova, Natal, 59072-970, RN, Brazil

    Laila Asth, Nataly Correia, Bruno Lobão-Soares, Vanessa P. Soares-Rachetti & Elaine C. Gavioli

  2. Departamento de Farmacologia, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil

    Thereza C. Monteiro De Lima

  3. Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and LTTA, University of Ferrara, 44121, Ferrara, Italy

    Remo Guerrini

  4. Department of Medical Sciences, Section of Pharmacology and National Institute of Neuroscience, University of Ferrara, 44121, Ferrara, Italy

    Girolamo Calo’

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  1. Laila Asth
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  2. Nataly Correia
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  3. Bruno Lobão-Soares
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Correspondence to Elaine C. Gavioli.

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Asth, L., Correia, N., Lobão-Soares, B. et al. Nociceptin/orphanin FQ induces simultaneously anxiolytic and amnesic effects in the mouse elevated T-maze task. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Arch Pharmacol 388, 33–41 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00210-014-1055-4

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