Agree with Andy on anxiolytic but NOT with sedative.

From Wikipedia: Sedative: A sedative is a substance that depresses the central nervous system (CNS), resulting in calmness, relaxation, reduction of anxiety, sleepiness, slowed breathing, slurred speech, staggering gait, poor judgment, and slow, uncertain reflexes. Sedatives may be referred to as tranquilizers, depressants, *anxiolytics*, soporifics, sleeping pills, downers, or sedative-hypnotics.

Whilst anxiolytic drugs may sometimes be referred to as sedatives, the term sedative would not be used in this context where we are referring to the effect of the drug on laboratory mice.

The anxiolytic effect referred to here relates to specific tests used with laboratory mice to test for the reduction of symptoms of anxiety - supposedly this can then be generalised to the more complex symptoms of human anxiety.



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Note added at 3 hrs (2007-07-24 15:39:31 GMT)
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If you search Google with: "anxiolytic effects in laboratory mice" you will get a host of academic journals on this topic.

e.g. http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/72000384...