Anxiogenic aspects of diazepam withdrawal can be detected in animals.

Animals can be trained to discriminate the presence of pentylenetetrazol, and this discrimination has previously been proposed as an animal bioassay for anxiogenicity. In rats made dependent on diazepam, pentylenetetrazol-like stimuli occurred during spontaneous or precipitated (with RO 15-1788) withdrawal; these stimuli were blocked by pentobarbital. These results demonstrate that the pentylenetetrazol-based animal model of anxiety can be used to objectively quantify a subjective aspect of benzodiazepine dependence/withdrawal.