Nootropics Boost Exploration and Reduce Anxiety in Anxious Mouse Strain

Inbred mouse strains, particularly BALB/c and C57BL/6, are widely used models for studying behavioral traits like anxiety and exploratory behavior. Previous research has shown inherent differences, with BALB/c mice often displaying higher anxiety levels and reduced exploratory drive in novel environments. This study aimed to evaluate how a range of nootropic (cognition-enhancing) drugs might modulate these distinct behavioral patterns in both mouse strains, specifically focusing on exploratory activity, locomotor activity, and anxiety.

The study confirmed that BALB/c mice exhibited significantly greater anxiety and lower efficiency in exploratory behavior when introduced to an unfamiliar environment compared to C57BL/6 mice. Crucially, all tested nootropic drugs demonstrated a clear positive modulation of spontaneous orientation and exploratory behavior, but this effect was observed exclusively in BALB/c mice. No significant improvements were noted in C57BL/6 mice. Among the nootropics, piracetam, phenotropil, noopept, and semax not only improved exploratory behavior but also reduced anxiety levels in BALB/c mice. Furthermore, phenotropil uniquely provided an additional benefit by increasing locomotor activity in this strain. Some drugs, specifically pantogam and nooglutil, exhibited only nootropic properties without significantly affecting anxiety or locomotor activity. All tested drugs clearly improved the exploratory behavior in BALB/c mice only, highlighting a strain-specific efficacy for these cognition enhancers.