Date of Defense

Winter 1-2001

Department

Biological Sciences

First Advisor

Lisa Baker, Psychology

Second Advisor

Robert McArthur, Pharmacia

Keywords

drug testing, drug trials, clinical trial

Abstract

The effect of the anxiolytic agent, diazepam (Valium ®) was evaluated in four male marmosets using a pharmacologically induced model of anxiety. The four marmosets were administered with 1.25 mg/kg of the anxiogenic agent FG7142, and were subsequently administered with 0.3, 1.0, or 3.0 mg/kg IM of diazepam according to a Latin square design. Thirty minutes after this combined treatment, the marmosets were placed in an observation chamber that contained a perch and screen mesh wall to climb on as well as each marmoset's home cage nest box. This nest box was provided as a familiar environment to which the marmoset could retreat. The marmosets' behaviors were videotaped for 15 min for subsequent coding and analysis. A trained observer, unaware of the particular drug treatment, coded the taped session. The results indicate that pharmacologically induced anxiety by FG7142 has a significant effect on the position of the marmoset within the cage. FG7142 reduces the time climbing on the screen of the wall and induces the marmoset to spend more time in the nest box. Although the time in the nest box and the time spent climbing on the wall were modified by diazepam, the results were not significant due to the small sample size. However, the results do indicate a significant trend to antagonize the effects of FG7142 on wall climbing. These findings suggest that the FG7142-incudced anxiety in marmosets may be a useful experimental model with which the potential anxiolytic properties of novel compounds may be tested.

Access Setting

Honors Thesis-Campus Only

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