Short communicationThe orexin-1 receptor antagonist SB-334867 decreases anxiety-like behavior and c-Fos expression in the hypothalamus of rats exposed to cat odor

•A single exposure to cat odor exposure induces anxiety-like behaviors in rats.•Cat odor exposure also increases c-Fos expression in the rat hypothalamus.•The orexin receptor antagonist SB-334867 (10 mg/kg) attenuates anxiety-like behavior.•Pre-treatment with SB-334867 decreases c-Fos expression in the hypothalamus.

Increasing evidence suggests that the orexin system is involved in modulating anxiety, and we have recently shown that cat odor-induced anxiety in rats is attenuated by the orexin receptor antagonist SB-334867. In the current experiment, c-Fos expression was used to map changes in neuronal activation following SB-334867 administration in the cat odor anxiety model. Male Wistar rats were exposed to cat odor with or without SB-334867 pre-treatment (10 mg/kg, i.p.). A naïve control group not exposed to cat odor was also used. Following cat odor exposure, brains were processed for c-Fos expression. Vehicle-treated rats showed an increase in anxiety-like behaviors (increased hiding and decreased approach toward the cat odor), and increased c-Fos expression in the posteroventral medial amygdala (MePV), paraventricular hypothalamus (PVN) and dorsal premammillary nucleus (PMd). In rats pretreated with SB-334867, approach scores increased and c-Fos expression decreased in the PVN and PMd. These results provide both behavioral and neuroanatomical evidence for the attenuation of cat odor-induced anxiety in rats via the orexin system.