Abstract
The “staircase” is a simple and rapid test and was used to study two components of exploratory behaviour in the rat. The scores of rearing and the number of steps climbed during three minutes were recorded.
Various psychotropic drugs were tested, which modified these two parameters. Neuroleptic induced a parallel decrease of both, while benzodiazepines, meprobamate, amobarbitone and ethanol decreased the rearing at doses which left the steps climbed unchanged. At high doses, there was a parallel decrease of both parameters. Amphetamine, at lower doses, increased the rearing score alone.
The comparison of the studied psychotropic drug effects with those of two muscle relaxants (by a comparison of the slopes of regression lines) suggests that either the observed benzodiazepine effects were only partly due to their myorelaxant action, or, that both myorelaxants have some anxiolytic action.
The effect of amphetamine at low doses can be viewed as a demonstration of increased anxiety.
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Thiébot, M.H., Soubrié, P., Simon, P. et al. Dissociation de deux composantes du comportement chez le rat sous l'effet de psychotropes. Psychopharmacologia 31, 77–90 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00429300
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00429300