Enhanced anxiety follows withdrawal from subchronic exposure to phencyclidine in rats

Anxiety was assessed in rats treated with 5 mg/kg of PCP bid for 7 days. One week after withdrawal, measures were collected in the light/dark apparatus and during exposure to a cat odor. PCP decreased time spent in the lit area and number of contacts with a cat collar. PCP thus amplified rats' fear of unprotected environments and predatory threats, which seems compatible with the distorted emotional experience in human schizophrenia.