Jaskiw G E, Weinberger D R
Clinical Brain Disorders Branch, NIMH Research Center at St. Elizabeths, Washington, DC 20032.
Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 1990 Jul;36(3):695-7. doi: 10.1016/0091-3057(90)90276-n.
Six weeks after induction of bilateral sham or ibotenic acid lesions of the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), groups of rats were injected with the anxiogenic beta-carboline FG-7142 (15 mg/kg IP) or vehicle (VEH) before exposure to a novel open field. The attenuation of exploratory activity by FG-7142 was markedly enhanced in the MPFC-lesioned rats. The results suggest that the behavioral effects of MPFC lesions may be amplified under stressful conditions. Secondly, the inhibition of exploratory activity by FG-7142 does not depend on its action within the MPFC.