Behavioral and Neurobiological Studies on Anxiety in Rat Models
Summary
In recent decades, experimental models of anxiety in rats have provided critical insights into the interplay between behavioural phenotypes and underlying neural mechanisms. Anxiety-like responses are commonly assessed through ethologically relevant paradigms such as the elevated plus maze, open-field test and two-way avoidance learning. These behavioural assays are complemented by neurobiological investigations targeting key brain regions implicated in anxiety regulation, notably the hippocampus, amygdala, prefrontal cortex, ventral tegmental area and nucleus accumbens. Molecular approaches have identified neurotrophic factors, neurotransmitter systems, epigenetic modifications and intracellular signalling cascades as central drivers of anxiety-related plasticity. Genetic models, including selectively bred strains with high versus low avoidance phenotypes, have further clarified how inherited traits interact with environmental stressors to shape vulnerability or resilience. Collectively, this body of work has delineated a multilevel framework linking acute and chronic stressors to synaptic remodelling, maladaptive coping strategies and emotional dysregulation, with translational implications for understanding human anxiety disorders and developing targeted interventions.
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Behavioral and Neurobiological Studies on Anxiety in Rat Models publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in behavioral and neurobiological studies on anxiety in rat models across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF): A protein promoting neuronal survival, growth and synaptic plasticity, often modulated by stress.
Tyrosine kinase receptor B (trkB): High-affinity receptor for BDNF that initiates intracellular signalling pathways involved in plasticity.
Dorsal hippocampus (dHC): Subregion of the hippocampus implicated in cognitive and memory aspects of stress responses.
Ventral hippocampus (vHC): Subregion of the hippocampus more closely linked to emotional and anxiety-related processing.
Forced swimming (FS): An acute stress paradigm where rats are placed in water to assess behavioural despair and stress signalling.
Mesocorticolimbic system: Brain network comprising the ventral tegmental area, nucleus accumbens and prefrontal cortex, central to reward and stress adaptation.
References
- Effects of Tail Pinch on BDNF and trkB Expression in the Hippocampus of Roman Low- (RLA) and High-Avoidance (RHA) Rats. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2023).
- Acute Stress Induces Different Changes on the Expression of BDNF and trkB in the Mesocorticolimbic System of Two Lines of Rats Differing in Their Response to Stressors. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2022).
- Effects of Forced Swimming Stress on ERK and Histone H3 Phosphorylation in Limbic Areas of Roman High- and Low-Avoidance Rats. PLOS ONE (2017).
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