Maternal aggression in rats: lack of interaction between chlordiazepoxide and fluprazine

Abstract

In a paradigm of female aggression, maternal aggression, low doses of chlordiazepoxide (CDP) enhanced aggression, whereas the serenic drug fluprazine dose-dependently decreased aggression. In this study one selected dose of CDP (5 mg/kg PO) clearly enhanced aggression of female lactating rats against a naive male intruder. This dose of CDP however, was not able to antagonize the dose-dependent decrease observed after fluprazine treatment (5, 10, 20 mg/kg IP). These data suggest that fluprazine and CDP do not simply have opposite effects at the same site of action. It is suggested that fluprazine decreased the offensive motivation of animals, whereas CDP increased attacks indirectly by reduction of the approach-avoidance conflict in a social context.