Licl's Effect On Exploratory Behavior

In order to examine whether LiCl affected exploratory behavior, fear, or anxiety in animals, rats were injected intraperitoneally with either LiCl or NaCl before being monitored in an open field apparatus . Rats that were given LiCl had fewer line crossings than rats that were given NaCl. There was no significant difference in the number of center entries and time spent in the center field between the treatment and control groups.
The reduction in line crossings in the treatment group provides evidence that LiCl decreases overall exploratory behavior in rats. These results agree with evidence from previous studies which indicate LiCl administration results in decrease of line crossings in an open field (Smith, 1983; Parker, et al., 1984). Another study reaffirmed this study’s discoveries, finding rats given injections of LiCl showed significantly reduced locomotion and exploratory behavior in the open field apparatus (Johnson, 1975).

However, other research does not agree with this study. In a previous study when rats were presented in the open field, rats given LiCl showed decreased time spent in the center (Youngs, et al., 2006). Possible explanations for this difference may be that the rats were injected with different doses of LiCl, thus giving a different effect.
To improve this study and obtain more accurate results, researchers should film the rats in the open field apparatus instead of watching them. Possible future experiments would employ these improvements as well as possibly use more rats and perform additional trials to get more accurate data. An additional step to further the experiment would be to add an extra test such as a forced swim test to test how exposure to different stressors effected the rat’s fear and