Behavioural brain research
-
Previous work has shown that systematic individual differences between male Wistar rats can be detected in tasks like the elevated plus-maze, or the open field. Here, we investigated whether individual profiles of anxiety, as measured with the plus-maze, may predict behavioral response profiles in other tasks where anxiety, aversion, or depressive behaviors are important. Male Wistar rats were initially screened: (A) in an open field; and (B) in an elevated plus-maze. ⋯ Finally, LA and HA rats behaved similarly in the forced swim test; however, the percentage changes of immobility time between test days 1 and 2 were negatively correlated to open field behavior, namely locomotor activity and center entries. On the other hand, the frequencies of rearing in the open field, which can also gauge functional differences between rats (for example responsiveness to novelty, psychomotor activation), were not substantially related to the behavioral profiles in the tests of anxiety and depression. These results show that individual differences of anxiety in the plus-maze can be predictive of behavior in other anxiety models, but not in forced swim test, indicating that they may be determined partly by similar functional and physiological mechanisms.