Effect of new anxiolytic CM-346 on bioelectrical activity of cerebral cortex in MR and MNRA rats

The effect of 2-[2-(morpholin)ethylthio]-5-ethoxybenzimidazole (CM-346) on the EEG of MR and MNRA rats was compared with that of diazepam. Both CM-346 and diazepam reversed stress-induced changes in bioelectrical activity after intraperitoneal injection of 0.9% NaCl. In MR and MNRA rats both drugs decreased the EEG spectral power in the high-frequency θ-band (7.5–8.2 Hz). In MR rats, CM-346 increased the power of the low-frequency θ-rhythm (4.8–5.8 Hz) and the dominant activity peak (6.0–7.2 Hz) and decreased the spectral power in the 19–20 Hz band. The data suggest that CM-346 exerts antistressor and anxiolytic effects in animals with passive reactions to emotional stress.