Relationships between hyponeophagia, diazepam sensitivity and benzodiazepine receptor binding in eighteen rat genotypes.

Rats of 18 genotypes derived from the selected Roman strains were tested for hyponeophagia in a control condition and following diazepam (1 mg/kg). Subsequently, benzodiazepine receptor binding was measured in the cortical/striatal region. Hyponeophagia in the control condition correlated strongly with diazepam sensitivity, but benzodiazepine receptor titres did not correlate significantly with either control behavior or drug responsivity. These findings are discussed in the contexts of the arousal hypothesis of hyponeophagia and of postulated relationships between benzodiazepine receptors and emotionality.