title: Spontaneous alternation behavior: an animal model for obsessive-compulsive disorder?
abstract: This study entailed the adoption of a well-established behavioral paradigm, spontaneous alternation, as a possible animal model for some of the symptoms observed in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in humans. Food-deprived rats were run in a T-maze in which both a black and a white goal box were equally baited with a small amount of chocolate milk. Each rat was given 7 trials every other day during which it was placed in the start box and allowed to make a choice. The mean number of choices until an alternation occurred was recorded. After a stable baseline of spontaneous alternation was achieved the effects of manipulating the serotonergic system were tested. Both the nonselective 5-HT agonist 5-MeODMT (1.25 mg/kg) and the more selective 5-HT1A agonist 8-OH-DPAT (2 mg/kg) disrupted spontaneous alternation. A course of chronic treatment (2 x 5 mg/kg for 21 days) with the selective 5-HT uptake blocking agent fluoxetine had a protective effect on the 5-MeODMT-induced disruption of spontaneous alternation behavior. Serotonergic manipulations of spontaneous alternation may be a simple animal model for the perseverative symptoms or indecisiveness seen in people diagnosed with OCD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Medical College of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19129.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Yadin
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Friedman
authors.forename: W H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Bridger
mesh_terms: D017371:8-Hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005473:Fluoxetine / Q000494:pharmacology; D007858:Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D008732:Methoxydimethyltryptamines / Q000494:pharmacology; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013764:Tetrahydronaphthalenes / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D008732:Methoxydimethyltryptamines; D013764:Tetrahydronaphthalenes; D005473:Fluoxetine; D017371:8-Hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin