Effects of psychotropic drugs on the rage responses induced by electrical stimulation of the medial hypothalamus in cats.

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Effects of psychotropic drugs on the rage responses induced by electrical stimulation were investigated in cats with electrodes chronically implanted in the medial hypothalamus. Diazepam produced marked elevation in the threshold for directed attack and slight elevation in that for hissing. The inhibitory effect of etizolam on hissing was about 6 times as potent as that of diazepam. Anti-anxiety drugs such as diazepam, nitrazepam, lorazepam, clotiazepam and etizolam produced marked elevation in the directed attack threshold dose-dependently. The effect of chlorpromazine on directed attack was far less potent than that of anti-anxiety drugs. The anti-anxiety drugs used in this experiment had anti-pentetrazole activity in mice as well as muscle relaxant activity in cats. There were close correlations between the directed attack inhibition produced by the anti-anxiety drugs and both anti-pentetrazole activity and muscle relaxant activity. The above anti-anxiety drugs evidently have a more potent inhibitory effect on the function of the medial hypothalamus than neuroleptic drugs. The inhibitory effect of anti-anxiety drugs on directed attack may be considered to correlate with clinical anti-anxiety effects.