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Pickenhan L, Milton AL. Opening new vistas on obsessive-compulsive disorder with the observing response task. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2024; 24:249-265. [PMID: 38316708 PMCID: PMC11039534 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-023-01153-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), a highly prevalent and debilitating disorder, is incompletely understood in terms of underpinning behavioural, psychological, and neural mechanisms. This is attributable to high symptomatic heterogeneity; cardinal features comprise obsessions and compulsions, including clinical subcategories. While obsessive and intrusive thoughts are arguably unique to humans, dysfunctional behaviours analogous to those seen in clinical OCD have been examined in nonhuman animals. Genetic, ethological, pharmacological, and neurobehavioural approaches all contribute to understanding the emergence and persistence of compulsive behaviour. One behaviour of particular interest is maladaptive checking, whereby human patients excessively perform checking rituals despite these serving no purpose. Dysfunctional and excessive checking is the most common symptom associated with OCD and can be readily operationalised in rodents. This review considers animal models of OCD, the neural circuitries associated with impairments in habit-based and goal-directed behaviour, and how these may link to the compulsions observed in OCD. We further review the Observing Response Task (ORT), an appetitive instrumental learning procedure that distinguishes between functional and dysfunctional checking, with translational application in humans and rodents. By shedding light on the psychological and neural bases of compulsive-like checking, the ORT has potential to offer translational insights into the underlying mechanisms of OCD, in addition to being a platform for testing psychological and neurochemical treatment approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luise Pickenhan
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Amy L Milton
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK.
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Meta-Chlorophenylpiperazine-Induced Behavioral Changes in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Research: A Systematic Review of Rodent Studies. Neuroscience 2022; 507:125-138. [PMID: 36332691 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.10.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Revised: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Meta-chlorophenylpiperazine (mCPP) was one of the first compounds used in clinical and preclinical studies that demonstrated the role of serotonin in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). This systematic review aimed to (a) identify publications that report in rodents the effects of mCPP relevant to OCD, (b) explore the methodological characteristics of these studies, and (c) summarize the profile of mCPP effects. A comprehensive literature search was performed using PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. Search terms were a combination of obsessive-compulsive disorder or OCD and meta-chlorophenylpiperazine or mCPP. Twenty-nine articles were included in the review. The years of publication ranged from 1993 to 2021. Most studies used adult male Wistar or Sprague-Dawley rats. The most frequent dose of mCPP was 1.0 mg/kg administered acutely, intraperitoneally. In general, available preclinical evidence suggests increased defensive and compulsive behaviors associated with a decreased locomotor activity. But other results besides these and the absence of significant mCPP effects were also observed. Among the factors that may contribute to the variability of mCPP effects, differences in methods are highlighted, such as characteristics of the species/strains studied, mCPP doses and treatment regimens used. The heterogeneity of the OCD-like behaviors evaluated and the interaction of mCPP with different receptors may also be critical variables for discrepancies in the findings with mCPP. The information described in this review may contribute to a better understanding of how mCPP-induced behavioral changes in rodents have been used to study OCD, highlighting the main challenges for future investigations in this field.
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Szechtman H, Dvorkin-Gheva A, Gomez-Marin A. A virtual library for behavioral performance in standard conditions-rodent spontaneous activity in an open field during repeated testing and after treatment with drugs or brain lesions. Gigascience 2022; 11:giac092. [PMID: 36261217 PMCID: PMC9581716 DOI: 10.1093/gigascience/giac092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Revised: 07/31/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Beyond their specific experiment, video records of behavior have future value-for example, as inputs for new experiments or for yet unknown types of analysis of behavior-similar to tissue or blood sample banks in life sciences where clinically derived or otherwise well-described experimental samples are stored to be available for some unknown potential future purpose. FINDINGS Research using an animal model of obsessive-compulsive disorder employed a standardized paradigm where the behavior of rats in a large open field was video recorded for 55 minutes on each test. From 43 experiments, there are 19,976 such trials that amount to over 2 years of continuous recording. In addition to videos, there are 2 video-derived raw data objects: XY locomotion coordinates and plots of animal trajectory. To motivate future use, the 3 raw data objects are annotated with a general schema-one that abstracts the data records from their particular experiment while providing, at the same time, a detailed list of independent variables bearing on behavioral performance. The raw data objects are deposited as 43 datasets but constitute, functionally, a library containing 1 large dataset. CONCLUSIONS Size and annotation schema give the library high reuse potential: in applications using machine learning techniques, statistical evaluation of subtle factors, simulation of new experiments, or as educational resource. Ultimately, the library can serve both as the seed and as the test bed to create a machine-searchable virtual library of linked open datasets for behavioral performance in defined conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry Szechtman
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Anna Dvorkin-Gheva
- Department of Pathology & Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Alex Gomez-Marin
- Department of Systems Neurobiology, Instituto de Neurociencias (CSIC-UMH), 03550 Sant Joan d'Alacant, Alicante, Spain
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Szechtman H, Harvey BH, Woody EZ, Hoffman KL. The Psychopharmacology of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Preclinical Roadmap. Pharmacol Rev 2020; 72:80-151. [PMID: 31826934 DOI: 10.1124/pr.119.017772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
This review evaluates current knowledge about obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), with the goal of providing a roadmap for future directions in research on the psychopharmacology of the disorder. It first addresses issues in the description and diagnosis of OCD, including the structure, measurement, and appropriate description of the disorder and issues of differential diagnosis. Current pharmacotherapies for OCD are then reviewed, including monotherapy with serotonin reuptake inhibitors and augmentation with antipsychotic medication and with psychologic treatment. Neuromodulatory therapies for OCD are also described, including psychosurgery, deep brain stimulation, and noninvasive brain stimulation. Psychotherapies for OCD are then reviewed, focusing on behavior therapy, including exposure and response prevention and cognitive therapy, and the efficacy of these interventions is discussed, touching on issues such as the timing of sessions, the adjunctive role of pharmacotherapy, and the underlying mechanisms. Next, current research on the neurobiology of OCD is examined, including work probing the role of various neurotransmitters and other endogenous processes and etiology as clues to the neurobiological fault that may underlie OCD. A new perspective on preclinical research is advanced, using the Research Domain Criteria to propose an adaptationist viewpoint that regards OCD as the dysfunction of a normal motivational system. A systems-design approach introduces the security motivation system (SMS) theory of OCD as a framework for research. Finally, a new perspective on psychopharmacological research for OCD is advanced, exploring three approaches: boosting infrastructure facilities of the brain, facilitating psychotherapeutic relearning, and targeting specific pathways of the SMS network to fix deficient SMS shut-down processes. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: A significant proportion of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) do not achieve remission with current treatments, indicating the need for innovations in psychopharmacology for the disorder. OCD may be conceptualized as the dysfunction of a normal, special motivation system that evolved to manage the prospect of potential danger. This perspective, together with a wide-ranging review of the literature, suggests novel directions for psychopharmacological research, including boosting support systems of the brain, facilitating relearning that occurs in psychotherapy, and targeting specific pathways in the brain that provide deficient stopping processes in OCD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry Szechtman
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada (H.S.); SAMRC Unit on Risk Resilience in Mental Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cape Town, and Center of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, North-West University (Potchefstroom Campus), Potchefstroom, South Africa (B.H.H.); Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada (E.Z.W.); and Centro de Investigación en Reproducción Animal, CINVESTAV-Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, Mexico (K.L.H.)
| | - Brian H Harvey
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada (H.S.); SAMRC Unit on Risk Resilience in Mental Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cape Town, and Center of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, North-West University (Potchefstroom Campus), Potchefstroom, South Africa (B.H.H.); Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada (E.Z.W.); and Centro de Investigación en Reproducción Animal, CINVESTAV-Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, Mexico (K.L.H.)
| | - Erik Z Woody
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada (H.S.); SAMRC Unit on Risk Resilience in Mental Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cape Town, and Center of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, North-West University (Potchefstroom Campus), Potchefstroom, South Africa (B.H.H.); Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada (E.Z.W.); and Centro de Investigación en Reproducción Animal, CINVESTAV-Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, Mexico (K.L.H.)
| | - Kurt Leroy Hoffman
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada (H.S.); SAMRC Unit on Risk Resilience in Mental Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cape Town, and Center of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, North-West University (Potchefstroom Campus), Potchefstroom, South Africa (B.H.H.); Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada (E.Z.W.); and Centro de Investigación en Reproducción Animal, CINVESTAV-Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, Mexico (K.L.H.)
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de Brouwer G, Fick A, Lombaard A, Stein DJ, Harvey BH, Wolmarans DW. Large nest building and high marble-burying: Two compulsive-like phenotypes expressed by deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus bairdii) and their unique response to serotoninergic and dopamine modulating intervention. Behav Brain Res 2020; 393:112794. [PMID: 32619566 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.112794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2020] [Revised: 06/19/2020] [Accepted: 06/29/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to further dissect the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus bairdii) model of compulsive-like behavior with respect to two persistent-like behavioral phenotypes viz. large nest building (LNB) and high marble-burying (HMB), which may be relevant to understanding the neurobiology of different symptom dimensions in obsessive-compulsive and related disorders. Since LNB is sensitive to chronic, high dose escitalopram intervention but HMB is not, we assessed whether the two behaviors could be further distinguished based on their response to 4 weeks of uninterrupted serotoninergic intervention (i.e. escitalopram; ESC; 50 mg/kg/day), dopaminergic antagonism, i.e. flupentixol; FLU; 0.9 mg/kg/day), dopaminergic potentiation (i.e. rasagiline; RAS; 5 mg/kg/day), and their respective combinations with escitalopram (ESC/FLU and ESC/RAS). Here we show LNB to be equally responsive to chronic ESC and ESC/FLU. HMB was insensitive to either of these interventions but was responsive to ESC/RAS. Additionally, we report that scoring preoccupied interaction with marbles over several trials is an appropriate measure of compulsive-like behavioral persistence in addition to the standard marble burying test. Taken together, these data provide further evidence that LNB and HMB in deer mice have distinctive neurobiological underpinnings. Thus, the naturally occurring compulsive-like behaviors expressed by deer mice may be useful in providing a platform to test unique treatment targets for different symptom dimensions of OCD and related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geoffrey de Brouwer
- Center of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, North West-University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
| | - Arina Fick
- Center of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, North West-University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
| | - Ané Lombaard
- Center of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, North West-University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
| | - Dan J Stein
- MRC Unit on Risk and Resilience in Mental Disorders, Cape Town, South Africa; Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Brian H Harvey
- Center of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, North West-University, Potchefstroom, South Africa; MRC Unit on Risk and Resilience in Mental Disorders, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - De Wet Wolmarans
- Center of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, North West-University, Potchefstroom, South Africa.
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A critical inquiry into marble-burying as a preclinical screening paradigm of relevance for anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder: Mapping the way forward. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2020; 19:1-39. [PMID: 30361863 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-018-00653-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Rodent marble-burying behavior in the marble-burying test (MBT) is employed as a model or measure to study anxiety- and compulsive-like behaviors or anxiolytic and anticompulsive drug action. However, the test responds variably to a range of pharmacological interventions, and little consensus exists regarding specific methodologies for its execution. Regardless, the test is widely applied to investigate the effects of pharmacological, genetic, and behavioral manipulations on purported behaviors related to the said neuropsychiatric constructs. Therefore, in the present review we attempt to expound the collective translational significance of the MBT. We do this by (1) reviewing burying behavior as a natural behavioral phenotype, (2) highlighting key aspects of anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder from a translational perspective, (3) reviewing the history and proof of concept of the MBT, (4) critically appraising potential methodological confounds in execution of the MBT, and (5) dissecting responses of the MBT to various pharmacological interventions. We conclude by underlining that the collective translational value of the MBT will be strengthened by contextually valid experimental designs and objective reporting of data.
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7
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Derksen M, Feenstra M, Willuhn I, Denys D. The serotonergic system in obsessive-compulsive disorder. HANDBOOK OF BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-444-64125-0.00044-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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Changes in gut microbiota during development of compulsive checking and locomotor sensitization induced by chronic treatment with the dopamine agonist quinpirole. Behav Pharmacol 2019; 29:211-224. [PMID: 29194070 DOI: 10.1097/fbp.0000000000000363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Long-term treatment of rats with the D2/D3 dopamine agonist quinpirole induces compulsive checking (proposed as animal model of obsessive-compulsive disorder) and locomotor sensitization. The mechanisms by which long-term use of quinpirole produces those behavioral transformations are not known. Here we examined whether changes in gut microbiota play a role in these behavioral phenomena, by monitoring the development of compulsive checking and locomotor sensitization at the same time as measuring the response of gut microbiota to chronic quinpirole injections. Two groups of rats received nine injections of saline (n=16) or quinpirole (n=15; 0.25 mg/kg), at weekly intervals for the first 5 weeks and then two injections per week until the end of treatment. After each injection, rats were placed on a large open field for 55 min, and their behavior was video recorded for subsequent analysis. Fecal matter was collected after each trial and frozen for bacterial community profiling of the 16S rRNA gene, using paired-end reads of the V3 region. The results indicated that the induction of locomotor sensitization and compulsive checking was accompanied by changes in several communities of bacteria belonging to the order Clostridiales (class Clostridia, phylum Firmicutes), and predominantly in Lachnospiraceae and Ruminococcaceae families of bacteria. It is suggested that changes in these microbes may serve to support the energy use requirements of compulsive checking and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
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9
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Dorfman A, Szechtman H, Eilam D. Social interaction modulates the intensity of compulsive checking in a rat model of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Behav Brain Res 2019; 359:156-164. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2018.10.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2018] [Revised: 10/09/2018] [Accepted: 10/29/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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10
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Wolmarans DW, Scheepers IM, Stein DJ, Harvey BH. Peromyscus maniculatus bairdii as a naturalistic mammalian model of obsessive-compulsive disorder: current status and future challenges. Metab Brain Dis 2018; 33:443-455. [PMID: 29214602 DOI: 10.1007/s11011-017-0161-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2017] [Accepted: 11/23/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a prevalent and debilitating condition, characterized by intrusive thoughts and repetitive behavior. Animal models of OCD arguably have the potential to contribute to our understanding of the condition. Deer mice (Permomyscus maniculatus bairdii) are characterized by stereotypic behavior which is reminiscent of OCD symptomology, and which may serve as a naturalistic animal model of this disorder. Moreover, a range of deer mouse repetitive behaviors may be representative of different compulsive-like phenotypes. This paper will review work on deer mouse behavior, and evaluate the extent to which this serves as a valid and useful model of OCD. We argue that findings over the past decade indicate that the deer mouse model has face, construct and predictive validity.
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Affiliation(s)
- De Wet Wolmarans
- Division of Pharmacology, Center of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom, South Africa.
| | - Isabella M Scheepers
- Division of Pharmacology, Center of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom, South Africa
| | - Dan J Stein
- MRC Unit on Risk and Resilience in Mental Disorders, Cape Town, South Africa
- Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, MRC Unit on Risk and Resilience in Mental Disorders, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Brian H Harvey
- Division of Pharmacology, Center of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom, South Africa
- MRC Unit on Risk and Resilience in Mental Disorders, Cape Town, South Africa
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11
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Winter C, Greene DM, Mavrogiorgou P, Schaper H, Sohr R, Bult-Ito A, Juckel G. Altered serotonergic and GABAergic neurotransmission in a mice model of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Behav Brain Res 2018; 337:240-245. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2017.09.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2017] [Revised: 09/07/2017] [Accepted: 09/07/2017] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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12
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Eilam D. From an animal model to human patients: An example of a translational study on obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2017; 76:67-76. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.12.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2016] [Revised: 12/05/2016] [Accepted: 12/16/2016] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
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Szechtman H, Ahmari SE, Beninger RJ, Eilam D, Harvey BH, Edemann-Callesen H, Winter C. Obsessive-compulsive disorder: Insights from animal models. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2017; 76:254-279. [PMID: 27168347 PMCID: PMC5833926 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.04.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2015] [Revised: 04/22/2016] [Accepted: 04/26/2016] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Research with animal models of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) shows the following: (1) Optogenetic studies in mice provide evidence for a plausible cause-effect relation between increased activity in cortico-basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical (CBGTC) circuits and OCD by demonstrating the induction of compulsive behavior with the experimental manipulation of the CBGTC circuit. (2) Parallel use of several animal models is a fruitful paradigm to examine the mechanisms of treatment effects of deep brain stimulation in distinct OCD endophenotypes. (3) Features of spontaneous behavior in deer mice constitute a rich platform to investigate the neurobiology of OCD, social ramifications of a compulsive phenotype, and test novel drugs. (4) Studies in animal models for psychiatric disorders comorbid with OCD suggest comorbidity may involve shared neural circuits controlling expression of compulsive behavior. (5) Analysis of compulsive behavior into its constitutive components provides evidence from an animal model for a motivational perspective on OCD. (6) Methods of behavioral analysis in an animal model translate to dissection of compulsive rituals in OCD patients, leading to diagnostic tests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry Szechtman
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
| | - Susanne E Ahmari
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
| | - Richard J Beninger
- Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada.
| | - David Eilam
- Department of Zoology, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat-Aviv 69978, Israel.
| | - Brian H Harvey
- MRC Unit on Anxiety and Stress Disorders, Center of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa.
| | - Henriette Edemann-Callesen
- Bereich Experimentelle Psychiatrie, Klinik und Poliklinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Universitätsklinikum Carl Gustav Carus an der Technischen Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
| | - Christine Winter
- Bereich Experimentelle Psychiatrie, Klinik und Poliklinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Universitätsklinikum Carl Gustav Carus an der Technischen Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
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14
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Ballester González J, Dvorkin-Gheva A, Silva C, Foster JA, Szechtman H. Nucleus accumbens core and pathogenesis of compulsive checking. Behav Pharmacol 2015; 26:200-16. [PMID: 25426580 PMCID: PMC5398318 DOI: 10.1097/fbp.0000000000000112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2014] [Accepted: 10/16/2014] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
To investigate the role of the nucleus accumbens core (NAc) in the development of quinpirole-induced compulsive checking, rats received an excitotoxic lesion of NAc or sham lesion and were injected with quinpirole (0.5 mg/kg) or saline; development of checking behavior was monitored for 10 biweekly tests. The results showed that even after the NAc lesion, quinpirole still induced compulsive checking, suggesting that the pathogenic effects produced by quinpirole lie outside the NAc. Although the NAc lesion did not prevent the induction of compulsive checking, it altered how quickly it develops, suggesting that the NAc normally contributes toward the induction of compulsive checking. Saline-treated rats with an NAc lesion were hyperactive, but did not develop compulsive checking, indicating that hyperactivity by itself is not sufficient for the pathogenesis of compulsive checking. It is proposed that compulsive checking is the exaggerated output of a security motivation system and that the NAc serves as a neural hub for coordinating the orderly activity of neural modules of this motivational system. Evidence is considered suggesting that the neurobiological condition for the pathogenesis of compulsive checking is two-fold: activation of dopamine D2/D3 receptors without concurrent stimulation of D1-like receptors and long-term plastic changes related to quinpirole-induced sensitization.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anna Dvorkin-Gheva
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Charmaine Silva
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jane A. Foster
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Henry Szechtman
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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15
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Tucci MC, Dvorkin-Gheva A, Johnson E, Wong M, Szechtman H. 5-HT2A/C receptors do not mediate the attenuation of compulsive checking by mCPP in the quinpirole sensitization rat model of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Behav Brain Res 2014; 279:211-7. [PMID: 25449840 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2014.11.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2014] [Revised: 11/04/2014] [Accepted: 11/08/2014] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
There is emerging evidence for a dopamine (DA)-serotonin (5-HT) interaction underlying obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In the quinpirole sensitization rat model of OCD, compulsive checking is induced by chronic treatment with the DA agonist quinpirole, and is attenuated by the 5-HT agonist drug mCPP. However, mCPP has affinity for a number of 5-HT receptor subtypes, and it is unknown by which receptors mCPP exerts its effects on quinpirole-treated animals. The present study tested in rats whether mCPP activity at 5-HT2A/C receptors mediates the attenuation of compulsive checking in quinpirole-treated animals. Rats were chronically treated with quinpirole on the open field for the induction of compulsive checking. Following the induction phase, animals were treated with mCPP (1.25 mg/kg) and the selective 5-HT2A/C receptor antagonist ritanserin (1 mg/kg or 5 mg/kg) to test whether blockade of 5-HT2A/C receptors inhibits attenuation of checking by mCPP. Results showed that as expected, quinpirole induced compulsive checking, and mCPP reduced its performance. However, 5-HT2A/C receptor blockade by ritanserin did not inhibit the attenuation of compulsive checking by mCPP. These results suggest that the reduction in compulsive checking by mCPP is not mediated by activity at 5-HT2A/C receptors, but by another receptor subtype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark C Tucci
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, HSC, 4N7, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, Canada L8S4L8.
| | - Anna Dvorkin-Gheva
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, HSC, 4N7, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, Canada L8S4L8
| | - Eric Johnson
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, HSC, 4N7, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, Canada L8S4L8
| | - Michael Wong
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, HSC, 4N7, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, Canada L8S4L8
| | - Henry Szechtman
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, HSC, 4N7, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, Canada L8S4L8
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Separate mechanisms for development and performance of compulsive checking in the quinpirole sensitization rat model of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2014; 231:3707-18. [PMID: 24682503 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-014-3505-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2013] [Accepted: 02/12/2014] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Acute administration of serotonergic agonist, meta-chlorophenylpiperazine (mCPP), attenuates performance of compulsive checking in an animal model of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). It is not known whether mCPP has a similar effect on development of compulsive checking. OBJECTIVES The objective of the study was to examine whether similar mechanisms mediate the development versus the performance of compulsive checking in the rat model. METHODS Four groups of male rats (N = 14/group) were tested: two experimental groups co-injected with D2/D3 dopamine agonist quinpirole (0.25 mg/kg) and mCPP (0.625 mg/kg or 1.25 mg/kg), and two control groups, one co-injected with quinpirole and saline, the other receiving injections of saline. The time course of development of compulsive checking across injections 1 to 10 in quinpirole-treated rats was compared to rats co-injected with quinpirole and mCPP. RESULTS Results showed that during the course of chronic treatment, mCPP (1.25 mg/kg) significantly attenuated performance of checking behavior. However, when these rats were retested for expression of compulsive checking (that is, with an injection of quinpirole only), their profile of compulsive checking was no different from the control rats treated throughout with quinpirole only. CONCLUSIONS Findings show that mCPP inhibits performance of compulsive checking but does not block quinpirole from inducing the neural substrate underlying this compulsive behavior. Hence, a separate mechanism underlies the induction of compulsive checking and the performance of it. It is suggested that development of the OCD endophenotype reflects neuroplastic changes produced by repeated dopamine D2/D3 receptor stimulation, while stimulation of serotonergic receptors mediates a negative feedback signal that shuts down the motor performance of checking.
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Tucci MC, Dvorkin-Gheva A, Johnson E, Cheon P, Taji L, Agarwal A, Foster J, Szechtman H. Performance of compulsive behavior in rats is not a unitary phenomenon - validation of separate functional components in compulsive checking behavior. Eur J Neurosci 2014; 40:2971-9. [PMID: 24935528 PMCID: PMC4215607 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.12652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2014] [Revised: 05/06/2014] [Accepted: 05/08/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
A previous analysis of the quinpirole sensitisation rat model of obsessive-compulsive disorder revealed that the behavioral phenotype of compulsive checking consists of three constitutive components – vigor of checking performance, focus on the task of checking, and satiety following a bout of checking. As confirmation of this analysis, the aim of the present study was to reconstitute, without quinpirole treatment, each of the putative components, with the expectation that these would self-assemble into compulsive checking. To reconstitute vigor and satiety, the employed treatment was a bilateral lesion of the nucleus accumbens core (NAc), as this treatment was shown previously to exaggerate these components. To reconstitute focus, the employed treatment was a low dose of the serotonin-1A receptor agonist 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino) tetralin hydrochloride (DPAT) (0.0625 mg/kg), as high doses of this drug induce compulsive behavior and exacerbate focus. Results showed that injection of DPAT to NAc lesion rats did yield compulsive checking. Neither the drug alone nor the NAc lesion by itself produced compulsive checking. The demonstrated synthesis of compulsive checking by the combined treatment of low-dose DPAT and NAc lesion strengthened the previous fractionation of the model obsessive-compulsive disorder phenotype into three constitutive components, and suggested a role for serotonin-1A receptors outside the NAc in enhanced focus on the task of checking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark C Tucci
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, Health Science Centre, McMaster University, Room 4N82, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, Canada, L8S 4K1
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18
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Eagle DM, Noschang C, d'Angelo LSC, Noble CA, Day JO, Dongelmans ML, Theobald DE, Mar AC, Urcelay GP, Morein-Zamir S, Robbins TW. The dopamine D2/D3 receptor agonist quinpirole increases checking-like behaviour in an operant observing response task with uncertain reinforcement: a novel possible model of OCD. Behav Brain Res 2014; 264:207-29. [PMID: 24406720 PMCID: PMC3989029 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2013.12.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2013] [Revised: 12/19/2013] [Accepted: 12/23/2013] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Excessive checking is a common, debilitating symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In an established rodent model of OCD checking behaviour, quinpirole (dopamine D2/3-receptor agonist) increased checking in open-field tests, indicating dopaminergic modulation of checking-like behaviours. We designed a novel operant paradigm for rats (observing response task (ORT)) to further examine cognitive processes underpinning checking behaviour and clarify how and why checking develops. We investigated i) how quinpirole increases checking, ii) dependence of these effects on D2/3 receptor function (following treatment with D2/3 receptor antagonist sulpiride) and iii) effects of reward uncertainty. In the ORT, rats pressed an 'observing' lever for information about the location of an 'active' lever that provided food reinforcement. High- and low-checkers (defined from baseline observing) received quinpirole (0.5mg/kg, 10 treatments) or vehicle. Parametric task manipulations assessed observing/checking under increasing task demands relating to reinforcement uncertainty (variable response requirement and active-lever location switching). Treatment with sulpiride further probed the pharmacological basis of long-term behavioural changes. Quinpirole selectively increased checking, both functional observing lever presses (OLPs) and non-functional extra OLPs (EOLPs). The increase in OLPs and EOLPs was long-lasting, without further quinpirole administration. Quinpirole did not affect the immediate ability to use information from checking. Vehicle and quinpirole-treated rats (VEH and QNP respectively) were selectively sensitive to different forms of uncertainty. Sulpiride reduced non-functional EOLPs in QNP rats but had no effect on functional OLPs. These data have implications for treatment of compulsive checking in OCD, particularly for serotonin-reuptake-inhibitor treatment-refractory cases, where supplementation with dopamine receptor antagonists may be beneficial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dawn M Eagle
- Department of Psychology and Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK.
| | - Cristie Noschang
- Department of Psychology and Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Laure-Sophie Camilla d'Angelo
- Department of Psychology and Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Christie A Noble
- Department of Psychology and Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Jacob O Day
- Department of Psychology and Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Marie Louise Dongelmans
- Department of Psychology and Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
| | - David E Theobald
- Department of Psychology and Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Adam C Mar
- Department of Psychology and Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Gonzalo P Urcelay
- Department of Psychology and Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Sharon Morein-Zamir
- Department of Psychology and Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Trevor W Robbins
- Department of Psychology and Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
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Reappraisal of spontaneous stereotypy in the deer mouse as an animal model of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): response to escitalopram treatment and basal serotonin transporter (SERT) density. Behav Brain Res 2013; 256:545-53. [PMID: 24013013 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2013.08.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2013] [Revised: 08/24/2013] [Accepted: 08/28/2013] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by recurrent thoughts and repetitive motor actions. Hyposerotonergic signalling in the cortico-striatal circuitry is believed to be central to the pathology of OCD, while many patients only respond to chronic treatment with high dose selective serotonin (5HT) reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Confined deer mice spontaneously develop two forms of stereotypy, namely vertical jumping and pattern running. The purpose of this investigation was to reappraise these behaviours and strengthen the validity of deer mouse stereotypy as an animal model of OCD within a framework of three study questions: (1) can the time spent executing stereotypical behaviours be employed as a measure of extent of stereotypy, (2) does deer mouse stereotypy only respond to chronic, but not sub-chronic treatment with a high-dose SSRI, and (3) is deer mouse stereotypy associated with altered cortico-striatal 5HT transporter (SERT) binding? The current study demonstrates that treatment naïve high stereotypical (HS) deer mice spend significantly more time executing stereotypical behaviours while significantly less time is spent indulging in stereotypy following chronic, but not sub-chronic, treatment with escitalopram. Furthermore, HS deer mice present with a significant decrease in striatal SERT density compared to non-stereotypical (NS) controls. Building on previous validation studies, we conclude that deer mouse stereotypy is a valid naturalistic animal model of OCD with robust face, construct and predictive validity.
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