Hogg S
Psychopharmacology Research Unit, UMDS Division of Pharmacology, Guy's Hospital Medical School, London, UK.
Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 1996 May;54(1):21-30. doi: 10.1016/0091-3057(95)02126-4.
Despite or possibly by virtue of the fact that it is one of the most commonly used animal models of anxiety the Elevated Plus-Maze (EPM) results in a wide range of, often contradictory, results following pharmacological experiments. The responses from a questionnaire distributed to 65 groups that have published studies using the EPM in the past 3 years has, along with reference to published reports, enabled some conclusions regarding the influencing factors to be drawn. Some evidence for differential sensitivities between strains exists, with albino rats being more sensitive to the anxiolytic effects of 5-HT3 receptor antagonists and 5-HT1A receptor agonists than pigmented animals. Most important, however, is the manipulation of the animals prior to testing and the aversiveness of the test conditions themselves. Stressing animals before testing (e.g., by moving from holding to test room) or using more aversive test conditions (e.g., elevated light levels) increases sensitivity to potential anxiolytics. Animals that are habituated to gentle handling or tested in less aversive conditions (e.g., EPM with ledges) show reduced likelihood of anxiolytic responses with administration of 5-HT3 antagonists, 5-HT1A agonists, and benzodiazepines.
尽管高架十字迷宫（EPM）是最常用的焦虑动物模型之一，也可能正是由于这一事实，在药理学实验后，它会产生广泛的、常常相互矛盾的结果。向在过去3年中发表过使用EPM研究的65个小组发放的一份调查问卷的反馈，结合已发表的报告，使得我们能够就影响因素得出一些结论。不同品系之间存在差异敏感性的一些证据，白化大鼠比有色动物对5-HT3受体拮抗剂和5-HT1A受体激动剂的抗焦虑作用更敏感。然而，最重要的是测试前对动物的处理以及测试条件本身的厌恶程度。在测试前对动物施加压力（例如，从饲养室转移到测试室）或使用更具厌恶感的测试条件（例如，提高光照水平）会增加对潜在抗焦虑药物的敏感性。习惯于温和处理或在不那么具有厌恶感的条件下进行测试的动物（例如，带有边缘的EPM），在给予5-HT3拮抗剂、5-HT1A激动剂和苯二氮䓬类药物时，出现抗焦虑反应的可能性降低。
