PMID- 14670628
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20040301
LR  - 20190614
IS  - 0006-8993 (Print)
IS  - 0006-8993 (Linking)
VI  - 996
IP  - 1
DP  - 2004 Jan 16
TI  - Infusions of midazolam into the medial prefrontal cortex produce anxiolytic 
      effects in the elevated plus-maze and shock-probe burying tests.
PG  - 31-40
AB  - Previous research has shown that lesions of the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) 
      inhibit fear-related behavior in rats (Brain Res. 969 (2003) 183-194). However, 
      at present little is known about the role of specific neurotransmitter receptor 
      systems within the MPFC in the mediation of fear and anxiety. For example, 
      extensive research has demonstrated the effectiveness of benzodiazepines in 
      decreasing fear-related behavior. However, no research has yet been published 
      regarding the effects of micro-infusions of benzodiazepines, or any other GABA-A 
      receptor agonist, into the MPFC. In addition, previous work has suggested that 
      there may be functional differences between the dorsal and ventral subregions of 
      the MPFC in regard to fear and anxiety. Therefore, the present study examined the 
      effects of dorsal and ventral MPFC infusions of the benzodiazepine midazolam in 
      two well-validated animal models of anxiety, the elevated plus maze and the shock 
      probe burying test. The results showed that bilateral (5 microg/side) infusions 
      of midazolam into the MPFC produced anxiolytic effects in both behavioural tests, 
      without affecting general activity or pain sensitivity. Furthermore, these 
      anxiolytic effects were found in both the dorsal and ventral regions of the MPFC. 
      The present findings indicate that the benzodiazepine receptors of the MPFC are 
      capable of modulating fear-related behaviors.
FAU - Shah, Akeel A
AU  - Shah AA
AD  - Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, P217 Biological Sciences 
      Building, T6G 2E9, Edmonton, AB, Canada. aashah@ualberta.ca
FAU - Treit, Dallas
AU  - Treit D
LA  - eng
PT  - Comparative Study
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PL  - Netherlands
TA  - Brain Res
JT  - Brain research
JID - 0045503
RN  - 0 (Anti-Anxiety Agents)
RN  - 0 (GABA Modulators)
RN  - R60L0SM5BC (Midazolam)
SB  - IM
MH  - Analysis of Variance
MH  - Animals
MH  - Anti-Anxiety Agents/*pharmacology/therapeutic use
MH  - Anxiety/*drug therapy
MH  - Behavior, Animal
MH  - Disease Models, Animal
MH  - Electroshock/adverse effects
MH  - Escape Reaction
MH  - Exploratory Behavior/drug effects/physiology
MH  - Fear/drug effects/physiology
MH  - GABA Modulators/pharmacology/therapeutic use
MH  - Male
MH  - Maze Learning/*drug effects/physiology
MH  - Midazolam/*pharmacology/therapeutic use
MH  - Motor Activity/drug effects/physiology
MH  - Prefrontal Cortex/anatomy & histology/*drug effects
MH  - Rats
MH  - Rats, Sprague-Dawley
EDAT- 2003/12/13 05:00
MHDA- 2004/03/03 05:00
CRDT- 2003/12/13 05:00
PHST- 2003/12/13 05:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2004/03/03 05:00 [medline]
PHST- 2003/12/13 05:00 [entrez]
AID - S0006899303038356 [pii]
AID - 10.1016/j.brainres.2003.10.015 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Brain Res. 2004 Jan 16;996(1):31-40. doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2003.10.015.