Effects of tianeptine in animal models of anxiety and on learning and memory

On acute administration tianeptine (2.5–10 mg/kg) was without significant effect in the social interaction test, but after 5 days of administration it produced an overall increase in social interaction. The increase was not more marked in unfamiliar than familiar test arenas and thus the profile differed from that seen with the benzodiazepines. Tianeptine (2.5–10 mg/kg) acutely and after 5 days was without significant anxiolytic effect in the elevated plus‐maze. Overall the pattern of results in these tests of anxiety resembles those of other novel compounds acting on the 5‐HT systems and possibly possessing anxiolytic or antidepressant effects. Tianeptine was without effect on between‐day habituation in the holeboard but tianeptine (10 mg/kg) significantly improved acquisition in a spatial task relying heavily on reference memory. Tianeptine (2.5 mg/kg) significantly reduced errors of working memory in a task in which spatial cues were minimized. These results suggest that rather than impairing memory tianeptine may actually improve some aspects.