Abstract

EFFECT OF MICHELIA CHAMPACA ON LOCOMOTOR ACTIVITY, ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION LIKE BEHAVIOURS IN NOISE STRESS INDUCED WISTAR ALBINO RATS

Malathi. S and Dr. Ravindran Rajan*

Abstract

Stress is a condition which affects physiological and psychological homeostasis. Evidence indicates that chronic repeated stress precipitates neuropsychiatric disorders like anxiety and depression. Recent studies have clearly demonstrated the abnormal synaptic plasticity which is responsible for cognitive deficits including enhanced anxiety in fragile X mental retardation and autism. Induction of progressive plasticity is known to be responsible for amelioration of stress-induced cognitive deficits and depression like behavior by enriched environment and brain stimulation rewarding experience. This study focuses on whether Michelia champaca administration (400mg/kg/b.wt) could avert the noise stress induced behavioural changes in male wistar albino rats. Noise stress animals were exposed to 100dB four hours a day for various duration (1,15&30 days respectively). When compared to control and M.champaca treated animals, noise stress induced animals showed an increased immobilization, rearing, fecal bolus and marked decrease in ambulation and grooming in open field test whereas in elevated plus maze, it showed a marked decrease in the number of open arm entry and percentage, time spent in open arm and percentage. Noise stress treated with M.champaca showed significant (P< 0.05) improvement in all the above observations and recovered from the stress. the results imply that M.chmapaca possess antistressor, enhancement of locomotor activity, anxiolytic and antidepressant property by reducing the noise stress induced alterations in behaviour, its effect might be due to the presence of antioxidant, antianxiolytic, antidepressant active components which are present in the methanolic extract of M.champaca.

Keywords: Michelia champaca, Noise Stress, Locomotor Activity, Anxiety, Open field, Elevated Plus Maze.