Dose-response analysis of the effects of buspirone on rearing in rats

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Abstract
The effects of buspirone were tested on rearing in an open field. Six different doses of buspirone (10, 3.3, 1.1, 0.3, 0.1 and 0.04 mg/kg) and a single dose of chlordiazepoxide (5 mg/kg) were administered i.p. to separate groups of rats. Buspirone produced a dose-dependent decrease in rearing in the range 0.04-10 mg/kg, whereas only the higher doses (10 and 3.3 mg/kg) decreased ambulation significantly. Chlordiazepoxide reduced rearing to an extent equivalent to 1 mg/kg of buspirone. Together with data in the literature, the results suggest that 5-HT1A agonists affect rearing at lower doses than ambulation; that the effects of buspirone in the open field are similar to classical anxiolytics; and that changes in rearing may be more closely related to anxiolytic than muscle relaxant, anti-convulsant and other GABA-mediated effects of the classical anxiolytics.