THE PROTECTIVE EFFECTS OF STRESS-CONTROL MAY BE MEDIATED BY INCREASEDBRAIN LEVELS OF BENZODIAZEPINE RECEPTOR AGONISTS

Control over stress protects against many of the deleterious effects o f stress exposure, but the endogenous mediators responsible for these prophylactic effects have remained elusive. Using behavioral pharmacol ogy, in vitro radioligand binding and neurochemical analyses, we demon strate that exposure to escapable stress results in brain and behavior changes reminiscent of benzodiazepine administration. The stress cont rol group shows significant protection against picrotoxinin-induced se izures, reductions in [S-35]t-butylbicyclophosphorothionate (TBPS) bin ding and a 3-fold increase of benzodiazepine-like substances in brain in comparison to both yoked-inescapable shock and non-shock controls. These observations suggest that coping behavior leads to the release o f endogenous benzodiazepine-like compounds in brain which protect the organism from stress pathology.