The present study examined the acute anxiolytic effects of monoamine oxidase inhibitors on freezing behavior, a putative index of anxiety induced by conditioned fear stress. The selective serotonin 1A receptor agonist tandospirone (0.1-10 mg/kg) inhibited freezing dose dependently. The irreversible, non-selective monoamine oxidase inhibitors tranylcypromine (3 and 15 mg/kg) and phenelzine (30 and 80 mg/kg) reduced freezing significantly. Clorgyline (10 mg/kg, irreversible selective monoamine oxidase A inhibitor), N-(2-aminoethyl)-5-(m-fluorophenyl)-4-thiazole carboxamide (Ro 41-1049) (30 mg/kg, reversible selective monoamine oxidase A inhibitor), selegiline (3 mg/kg, irreversible selective monoamine oxidase B inhibitor) and lazabemide (10 mg/kg, reversible selective monoamine oxidase B inhibitor) had no effect on freezing behavior. However, combined administration of clorgyline (10 mg/kg) and selegiline (3 mg/kg) reduced freezing significantly, as well as combined administration of clorgyline (10 mg/kg) and lazabemide (10 mg/kg), Ro 41-1049 (30 mg/kg) and selegiline (3 mg/kg), or Ro 41-1049 (30 mg/kg) and lazabemide (10 mg/kg). These effects of monoamine oxidase inhibitors on freezing were not due to non-specific motor effects. These results suggest that acute inhibition of both monoamine oxidase A and B reduced anxiety or fear, while inhibition of monoamine oxidase A or B alone failed to reduce anxiety or fear.