Volume 5, Issue 4 (Autumn 2014 2014)                   BCN 2014, 5(4): 267-276 | Back to browse issues page

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1- Department of Neuroscience, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
2- Department of Biological Science and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran.
Abstract:  
Introduction: In this study, we investigated the role of N-Methyl-D-Aspartate (NMDA) receptors in the ventral hippocampus (VH) and their possible interactions with GABAA system on anxiety-like behaviors. Methods: We used an elevated-plus maze test (EPM) to assess anxiety-like behaviors and locomotor activity in male Wistar rats. Results: The results showed that intra-VH infusions of different doses of NMDA (0.25 and 0.5 μg/rat) increased locomotor activity, and also induced anxiolytic-like behaviors, as revealed by a tendency to increase percentage of open arm time (%OAT), and a significant increase in percentage of open arm entries (%OAE). The results also showed that intra-VH infusions of muscimol (0.5 and 1 μg/rat) or bicuculline (0.5 and 1 μg/rat) did not significantly affect anxiety-like behaviors, but bicuculline at dose of 1 μg/rat increased locomotor activity. Intra-VH co-infusions of muscimol (0.5 μg/rat) along with low doses of NMDA (0.0625 and 0.125 μg/rat) showed a tendency to increase %OAT, %OAE and locomotor activity however, no interaction was observed between the drugs. Interestingly, intra-VH co-infusions of bicuculline (0.5 μg/rat) along with effective doses of NMDA (0.25 and 0.5 μg/rat) decreased %OAT, %OAE and locomotor activity, and a significant interaction between two drugs was observed. Discussion: It can be concluded that GABAergic system may mediate the anxiolytic-like effects and increase in locomotor activity induced by NMDA in the VH.
Type of Study: Original | Subject: Behavioral Neuroscience
Received: 2014/05/1 | Accepted: 2014/09/27 | Published: 2014/10/1

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