Durel L A, Krantz D S, Barrett J E
Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 1986 Aug;25(2):371-4. doi: 10.1016/0091-3057(86)90012-2.
Clinically effective anxiolytic drugs generally increase responding that is suppressed by punishment. Although beta-adrenergic antagonists have been reported to reduce anxiety in humans, such effects have not been reported reliably in animal punishment procedures. In the present study, three pigeons were trained to key peck under a multiple schedule. In the presence of a white light every thirtieth response produced grain. In the presence of a red light every thirtieth response produced grain and electric shock which suppressed responding to approximately 10 percent of that occurring in the alternate component. Propranolol (1.0-5.6 mg/kg) and, less reliably, atenolol significantly increased punished responding in a dose-related manner; propranolol effects were approximately twice as large as those of atenolol. Both drugs no more than weakly increased unpunished response rates at doses that increased punished responding. These results suggest that beta-blockers have an antianxiety effect on punished behavior, and that peripheral beta-blockade, the predominant action of beta-blockers regardless of whether they readily penetrate the brain, is likely to be involved in this effect.
临床上有效的抗焦虑药物通常会增加受惩罚抑制的反应。虽然据报道β-肾上腺素能拮抗剂可减轻人类的焦虑，但在动物惩罚程序中尚未可靠地报道过此类效果。在本研究中，三只鸽子接受训练，在多重时间表下啄键。在白光出现时，每三十次反应产生一粒谷物。在红光出现时，每三十次反应产生一粒谷物并伴有电击，这将反应抑制到交替成分中发生反应的约10%。普萘洛尔（1.0 - 5.6毫克/千克），以及不太可靠的阿替洛尔，以剂量相关的方式显著增加了受惩罚的反应；普萘洛尔的效果约为阿替洛尔的两倍。在增加受惩罚反应的剂量下，两种药物对未受惩罚反应率的增加作用都很微弱。这些结果表明，β受体阻滞剂对受惩罚行为具有抗焦虑作用，并且外周β受体阻滞，无论β受体阻滞剂是否容易穿透大脑，都是其主要作用，可能与这种作用有关。
