Effects of chronic diazepam treatments on behavior on individually housed rats

Abstract

The present study analyzed the effects of chronic treatment with low doses of diazepam on body weight, defecations and urinations, vertical rears, the elevated platform test; and self-grooming in male rats exposed for 21 days to social isolation. The rats were treated for 21 days with diazepam (0.2 mg/kg, i.p) or its vehicle. Social isolation led to decreased body weight and vertical rears, more defecations and urinations, increased reluctance to step down from the test platform, shorter duration of grooming, and longer reluctance to start grooming. Chronic diazepam in individually housed rats produced increase in body weight and vertical rears, decrease in the number of defecations and urinations, and shortening of the time of reluctance to step down from the platform. The number of grooming bouts, their duration, and reluctance to start grooming were not altered by diazepam, but it decreased the percentage of incorrect transitions. The obtained data indicate that chronic diazepam treatment of socially isolated rats changes non-grooming behavior and some grooming, behavior parameters.