Honors Theses
Date of Award
2006
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Department
Theater and Film
First Advisor
Kenneth Sufka
Relational Format
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
The chick separation stress paradigm has been validated as an anxiolytic screening assay. However, whether the paradigm better models Panic Disorder (PD) or Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is unknown. To pharmacologically dissociate the chick separation stress paradigm as a model of PD or GAD, subjects were administered drug probes that were either: 1) only effective in the treatment of PD (phenelzine 3.125-25.0 mg/kg), 2) effective in the treatment of both PD and GAD (alprazolam 0.065-0.5 mg/kg; clonidine 0.1-0.25 mg/kg; imipramine 1.0-15.0mg/kg), 3) only effective in the treatment of GAD (buspirone 2.5-10.0 mg/kg; trazodone 0.1-3.0 mg/kg), or 4) capable of exacerbating symptoms of PD in humans (yohimbine 0.1-3.0 mg/kg). At 7-days post hatch, chicks received either vehicle or drug probe intramuscular 15 min prior to social separation under a Mirror (low-stress) or No-Mirror (high-stress) condition for a 180 sec observation period. Dependent measures were distress vocalizations to index separation stress and sleep onset latency to index sedation. Phenelzine, alprazolam, imipramine, and clonidine showed significant anxiolytic effects at doses without significant sedation in the model, while buspirone and trazodone did not show significant anxiolytic effects. Paradoxically, yohimbine produced modest anxiolytic effects. These results suggest the chick separation stress paradigm better models PD than GAD as an anxiolytic screen.
Recommended Citation
Wicks, Robert Thomas, "Pharmacological Dissociation of Anxiety Model in the Chick Separation Stress Paradigm" (2006). Honors Theses. 2277.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/2277
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