GENETIC-ANALYSIS OF ANXIETY-RELATED BEHAVIORS AND RESPONSES TO BENZODIAZEPINE-RELATED DRUGS IN AXB AND BXA RECOMBINANT INBRED MOUSE STRAINS

Recombinant inbred (RI) strains derived from the C57BL/6J and A/J mous e strains were used for behavioral studies designed to estimate the nu mber and location of chromosomal loci responsible for anxiety-related behaviors and differential sensitivity to agonists and inverse agonist s of the gamma-aminobutyric acid(A) (GABA(A))/benzodiazepine receptor complex. The phenotypes of the parental inbred strains and of 28 Rl st rains were characterized for the number of transitions in the light = dark exploratory model, anxiolytic response to diazepam, vertical and ambulatory activities in an open field, and sensitivity to the convuls ant properties of methyl-beta-carboline-3-carboxylate (beta-CCM). The strain distribution patterns and estimates of the minimal number of lo ci obtained for each trait suggest that multiple chromosomal loci cont ribute to differences in anxiety-related behavioral phenotypes and the behavioral responses to diazepam and beta-CCM between C57BL/6J and A/ J mice. The best probabilities of linkage were found between the varia bles characterizing response to diazepam and loci on chromosomes 1 (Xm v-41) and 10 (D10Mit2) and between the sensitivity to the convulsant a ctions of beta-CCM and locus D15Mit5 on chromosome 15.