ITPR2 and Anxiety: Interestingly, in these mice, but not in mice knocked out for the IP3R2 specifically in neurons, the time spent exploring anxiogenic areas (center region in the OFT and open arms in EPM) increased without changes in the traveled distance in both tests, suggesting that limiting the Ca2+ signaling in ventral hippocampal astrocytes exerts an anxiolytic effect in the innate levels of anxiety displayed by mice during exploratory activities.