Effects of thyroid hormone deficiency on behavior in rat strains with different predisposition to catalepsy

The effects of thyroidectomy on anxiety-related behavior in the elevated plus-maze test, locomotor activity, and defecation in the open-field test and duration of cataleptic freezing were studied in rats of two strains differing in predisposition to catalepsy: cataleptic strain GC and its ancestor strain Wistar. Total thyroxine level was significantly decreased in control GC rats compared to that in control Wistar rats. Control Wistar and GC rats did not differ either in the percentages of open-arm entries or the time spent therein in the elevated plus-maze test or in defecation score in the open-field test. At the same time, control Wistar rats showed more locomotor activity compared to control GC rats in the open-field test. Thyroid hormone deficiency did not affect the percentages of open-arm entries and the time spent therein in the elevated plus-maze test as well as defecation score in both strains. Thyroidectomy did not alter significantly locomotor activity in Wistar rats, but produced a nearly twofold increase in locomotor activity in GC rats. The most important finding is that thyroidectomy significantly increased the expression of catalepsy in Wistar rats, which points to a role of thyroid hormones in the regulation of predisposition to cataleptic reaction. (C) 2002 Published by Elsevier Science Inc.