Spontaneous alternation behavior: an animal model for obsessive-compulsive disorder?
Pharmacology, biochemistry, and behavior October 1, 1991 E Yadin, E Friedman, W H Bridger 137 citations
Serotonergic drugs that activate certain receptors (5-HT1A) disrupt spontaneous alternation in rats, a behavior that may model the perseveration and indecisiveness seen in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Food-deprived rats given repeated choices in a T-maze normally alternate between goal boxes. Both the nonselective 5-HT agonist 5-MeODMT and the more selective 5-HT1A agonist 8-OH-DPAT reduced this alternation. Chronic treatment with the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine protected against the disruption caused by 5-MeODMT. The findings suggest that serotonergic manipulation of spontaneous alternation could serve as a simple animal model for certain OCD symptoms.