AVPR1B and major depressive disorder: Likewise, treatment with an Avpr1b antagonist has been found to reduce anxiety-like and depressive-like behaviors in rodents (Serradeil-Le Gal et al., 2005; Stevenson and Caldwell, 2012), and SNPs of the Avpr1b are associated with anxiety and depression in humans (van West et al., 2004; Dempster et al., 2007; Keck et al., 2008; Zai et al., 2012).