Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Acta Medica Europa, cilt.6, sa.3, ss.42-47, 2024 (Hakemli Dergi)
Naltrexone, a nonselective opioid receptor antagonist, is known to improve cognitive functions and exhibits neuromodulatory effects in the elderly. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of Naltrexone on anxiety and empathy-like behavior in old rats. After learning period on empathy test, old rats subjected empathy-like behavior and anxiety-like behavior tests in two groups: Naltrexone-treated and non-Naltrexone treated. Corticosterone levels in serum were detected by ELISA. We observed that in anxiety tests (open field, elevated plus maze, corticosterone levels) of Naltrexone-treated rats showed less pronounced anxiety symptoms than non-Naltrexone treated rats. Naltrexone-treated rats showed better performance on the empathy-like behavior test. We surmised that Naltrexone improved helping behavior associated with anxiolytic effectiveness and can assume that stress is a factor which prevents helping behavior in aged subjects.