Animal models sensitive to anti-anxiety agents

Abstract

Animal models of anxiety serve two primary purposes in psycho-pharmacological research, (i) The pharmacological profile observed in the model provides a basis which, depending on its predictive validity, permits an estimation of clinical activity, (ii) Insofar as the 'anxiety' occurring in the animal model is homologous to human anxiety disorders, it is possible to investigate the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms. The most commonly used laboratory procedures for the identification of anxiolytic effects of drugs are described in this paper. © Munksgaard 1998.