Abstract
In behavioral neurosciences, animal models enable investigation of brain-behavior relations, with the aim of gaining insight into human behavior and its underlying processes. Beyond doubt, the most significant information derives from the study of humans, but this is not always possible due to ethical, methodological, and/or economical constraints. Alternatively, a comparative approach that relies on animal models could be used to reach these goals. This approach is based on the evolutionary theory proposing that fundamental aspects of the behavior of humans are shared with other animals (Nesse 1999; Panksepp et al. 2002). The ground for this proposal was established by Charles Darwin, by means of his book entitled The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals (Darwin 1872).
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Notes
- 1.
It occurs when the animal stretches forward (Fig. 18.1c) and then retracts to its original position.
Fig. 18.1 
The (rat) elevated plus-maze (EPM) is consisted of two opposite open-arms (surrounded by a small ledge), and two enclosed-arms, about 50 cm above the ground (a). Using the EPM to measure anxiety is relatively simple: one may score the number of entries and the time spent on the open-arms (b). In addition to these spatiotemporal measures, there are more refined postures associated with anxiety such as the stretched-attend (c). They are collectively referred to as risk assessment behaviors. An “anxious” animal is one that displays risk assessment behavior very often and rarely ventures out on the open-arms. In general, whereas anxiolytics (e.g., diazepam) increase open-arms exploration and reduce stretched-attend postures, anxiogenic drugs (e.g., pentylenetetrazole) produce the opposite effect. One possible complication, that an animal might not come out because it is inherently inactive rather than anxious, can be dealt with by scoring the number of enclosed-arms entries, an index of general exploratory activity in this test (panel d)
- 2.
In addition, the genetical validation based on behavioral phenotyping approach is becoming increasingly important (Flint 2003).
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Acknowledgements
Leandro José Bertoglio and Antônio de Pádua Carobrez are supported by fellowships from FAPESP and CNPq, respectively.
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Bertoglio, L.J., de Pádua Carobrez, A. (2016). Animal Tests for Anxiety. In: Andersen, M., Tufik, S. (eds) Rodent Model as Tools in Ethical Biomedical Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-11578-8_18
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