An ethopharmacological assessment of agmatine's effects on agonistic encounters between male mice

The endogenous polyamine agmatine may be a new central neurotransmitter. Agmatine‐like immunoreactivity has been described in numerous brain regions (such as the hypothalamus and amygdala), long thought involved in the control of aggression. Consequently, the present study examined agmatine's (2.5–80 mg/kg, ip) effects on behavior directed by isolated male mice to anosmic partners in a neutral area. The videotaped encounters were analysed in terms of 10 broad behavioral categories. Agmatine did not appear to be involved in the modulation of aggression or anxiety in this test. Aggr. Behav. 31:000000, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.