Table 1.
Various types of behavioral tests and their invention, animal used, and name of drugs already evaluated on them
| Behavioral tests | Invented by | Animals used | Response to be observed | Inference of the observation | Clinically tested available drugs | Types of anxiety can be evaluated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elevated plus maze | Handley and Mithani [51] | Mice, Rats, Gerbils | Change in entries and time spend in open arm | If increase: drug shows its anxiolytic effect & If decrease: drug does not have anxiolytic effect | Benzodiazepines [51], Barbiturates [52], Prazosin [53], Clonidine [54], 5-HT1A receptor agonist [55], Ethanol [56], Ondansetron [57] | Generalized anxiety disorder, Specific phobias, PTSD |
| The light and dark box | Grawley and Godwin [14] | Mice and Rats | Change in entries and time spent in light box | If increase: drug shows its anxiolytic effect & If decrease: drug does not have anxiolytic effect | Paroxetine and Buspirone [58], Dothiepin [59], Moclobemide [60], Benzodiazepines [61] | Generalized anxiety disorder, Specific phobias |
| Marble burying behavior model | Treit and Pinel [62] | Mice and Rats | Change in the number of marbles buried | If increase: drug does not have anxiolytic effect & If decrease: drug shows its anxiolytic effect | Diazepam and Pentobarbital [62], Nitrous Oxide [63], Progesterone [64], Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor [65] | OCD |
| The hole board model | Boissier and Simon [33] | Mice and Rats | Change in locomotory, head dipping and head rearing behavior | If increase: drug shows its anxiolytic effect & If decrease: drug does not have anxiolytic effect | Paroxetine [66], Chronic Tiagabine [67], Benzodiazepines [68] | Generalized anxiety, Specific phobias, Social anxiety disorder, Panic disorder |
| The open-field test | Hall [43] | Mice and Rats | Change in locomotory, Rearing, Time spent moving, Distance moved and Change in activity over time | If time spent in centre part is more than time spent in perimeter than drugs consider as anxiolytic | Gabapentin, Carbamazepine, Lamotrigine, Levetiracetam, Topiramate [69] | Generalized anxiety disorder, Specific phobias, and Panic disorder |
PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder; OCD, obsessive-compulsive disorder.