Enforced water drinking induces changes in burying behavior and social interaction test in rats.

The effect of water deprivation and water intake on experimental anxiety in rats was tested using burying behavior (BB) and social interaction (SI) anxiety paradigms. Two groups of animals were studied: a control group with free access to water, and a 72-h water-deprived experimental group. Anxiety was studied in a water-deprived group or following a 10-min period of ad lib water drinking.

Exposure to the social interaction test in rats induces changes in defensive burying.

To detect changes in experimental anxiety, defensive burying (DB) was studied in several groups of rats after being exposed to social interaction (SI). Animals were studied in the DB paradigm after being submitted to the following SI treatments: control (without SI exposure), and SI for 1.5, 5, 10 and 15 min respectively.