Fluprazine hydrochloride does not decrease defensive behaviors of wild and septal syndrome rats.

Abstract

Recent studies indicate that fluprazine hydrochloride reduces offensive attack in laboratory rats and mice without decreasing defensive behavior during conspecific encounters. Since wild rats and rats displaying the "septal lesion syndrome" show much more pronounced defensive reactions than do normal laboratory rats, these animals were used to provide a more critical test of fluprazine's effectiveness on defense. When a dose of fluprazine hydrochloride (8 mg/kg), previously shown to be highly effective in reducing or eliminating offense, was given to wild and septal syndrome rats these animals showed no reliable decrement in a wide range of defensive reactions including biting attack (defensive attack) to human handling and other stimulation. These findings support the view that fluprazine does not appreciably affect defensive attack or other defensive behaviors even though it strongly inhibits offensive attack.