Evaluation of rat behavior in experimental studies is important for understanding neurophysiological and psychopharmacological processes. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of paracetamol on the behavioral responses of laboratory rats under chronic stress. Four groups of white outbred rats (N=48) were formed within the framework of the study. For statistical analysis of the data, specialized IBM SPSS Statistics version 21 software was used. The normality of distribution was checked using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov criterion. The data were then evaluated using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), with Tukey and Tamhane criteria used for multiple comparisons. The focus is on assessing changes in the cognitive and emotional spheres of animal behavior, as well as analyzing the possible neuroprotective properties of paracetamol under long-term stress exposure. This article describes changes in the behavioral responses of animals from different groups to objectively assess the effect of the drug on the levels of anxiety, depression, aggression and cognitive functions in rats under chronic stress. The behavior of rats on a board with holes, in a cage for measuring activity, in the Open Field and Elevated Plus Maze tests during a four-week study against the background of taking an aqueous solution of paracetamol is described. The results of this study confirm the hypothesis that the combination of stress and paracetamol intake has a significant effect on the behavioral activity of laboratory rats. This is manifested in a decrease in vertical and horizontal activity, changes in behavior in the elevated plus maze and a decrease in mobility in the open field. The obtained data can serve as a basis for further studies of the mechanisms of interaction between stress and pharmacological drugs on the central nervous system of animals.
Gizatullina et al. (Fri,) studied this question.