Autonomic changes associated with enhanced anxiety in 5-ht_1a receptor knockout mice

5-HT_1A receptor knockout (KO) mice have been described as more anxious in various anxiety paradigms. Because anxiety is often associated with autonomic changes like elevated body temperature and tachycardia, radiotelemetry was used to study these parameters in wild type (WT) and KO mice in stress-/anxiety-related paradigms. Basal body temperature (BT), heart rate (HR), and their diurnal rhythmicity did not differ between well-adapted WT and KO mice. In a simple stress-test, the Stress-induced Hyperthermia (SIH), injection-stress resulted in an exaggerated stress-response in KO mice. Furthermore, the 5-HT_1A receptor agonist flesinoxan dose-dependently antagonized SIH and stress-induced tachycardia in WT, but not in KO, mice. In both genotypes, diazepam blocked SIH, but not stress-induced tachycardia. Finally, KO mice displayed an exaggerated stress response in HR and BT to novelty stress; this was supported by behavioral indications of enhanced anxiety. The present findings show that 5-HT_1A receptor KO mice display a more "anxious-like" phenotype not only at a behavioral, but also at autonomic levels.