Effects of ritanserin on offense and defense in male mice

Abstract

Effects of ritanserin on agonistic behavior of isolated mice exhibiting aggressive or nonaggressive behavioral strategies were studied in pair-wise encounters with group-housed opponents, An ethological approach to behavioral scoring is adopted, which allows for examination of the profiles of individual subjects, Although the data generally support the view that ritanserin has little effect on offense or defense in male mice, the stimulation of pre-aggressive behavior (threats, alerts, tail rattles) was detected in some nonaggressive mice.