Behavioral effects of the CRF₁ receptor antagonist R121919 in rats selectively bred for high and low activity in the swim test

Summary 

This study assessed effects of a CRF₁ receptor antagonist, R121919, on the behavior of rats that have been selectively bred to exhibit very high or very low activity in a swim test. Following treatment with R121919 (10mg/kg, s.c.) or vehicle, several types of behavior were examined including: (1) spontaneous ambulatory activity in a novel environment, (2) swim-test activity, (3), and responses in an elevated plus maze. The most pronounced effects were observed in the swim test. Although R121919 had little effect on the swim-test behavior of normal, non-selected rats, Swim High-active rats (SwHi), characterized by being very active and exhibiting pronounced struggling behavior in the swim test, showed increased activity (more struggling) after R121919; in contrast, Swim Low-active (SwLo) rats, characterized by being very inactive and exhibiting pronounced floating behavior in the swim test, showed decreased activity (more floating) after R121919. This effect was observed in both male and female rats. No differences between strains or the effects of R121919 were observed for spontaneous ambulation or in the elevated plus maze test.

Keywords: Corticotropin releasing factor, CRF, Swim test, Receptor antagonist, Selectively bred rats, Animal model, Depression