Compulsive behavior in the 5-HT2C receptor knockout mouse

The efficacy of serotonergic pharmacotherapy indicates that serotonin (5-HT) plays a role in the treatment, if not the etiology, of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). While some clinical evidence implicates 5-HT(2C) receptors in this disorder, a definitive function has yet to be validated. We hypo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physiology & behavior 2003-04, Vol.78 (4-5), p.641-649
Main Authors: CHOU-GREEN, Jennifer M, HOLSCHER, Todd D, DALLMAN, Mary F, AKANA, Susan F
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Behavioral psychophysiology
Biological and medical sciences
Compulsive Behavior - genetics
Compulsive Behavior - psychology
Eating - genetics
Eating - physiology
Exploratory Behavior - physiology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Genotype
Habituation, Psychophysiologic - genetics
Habituation, Psychophysiologic - physiology
Hyperphagia - genetics
Hyperphagia - psychology
Mastication - genetics
Mastication - physiology
Mice
Mice, Knockout
Neurotransmission and behavior
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2C - genetics
Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2C - physiology
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Summary:The efficacy of serotonergic pharmacotherapy indicates that serotonin (5-HT) plays a role in the treatment, if not the etiology, of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). While some clinical evidence implicates 5-HT(2C) receptors in this disorder, a definitive function has yet to be validated. We hypothesized that 5-HT(2C) receptor knockout (KO) mice may display compulsive-like behavior. This paper describes characterization of several distinct, highly organized behaviors in mice lacking functional 5-HT(2C) receptors, which supports a compulsive-like syndrome.Compulsive-like behavior was assessed in male 5-HT(2C) receptor KO and wildtype (WT) mice. Chewing of non-nutritive clay, chewing patterns on plastic-mesh screens, and the frequency of head dipping were measured. 5-HT(2C) receptor KO mice chewed more clay, produced a distinct pattern of "neat" chewing of plastic screens and exhibited reduced habituation of head dipping activity compared to WT mice. We conclude that the 5-HT(2C) receptor null mutant mouse provides a promising model of compulsive behavior and a means to further explore the role of 5-HT in OCD.
ISSN:0031-9384
1873-507X
DOI:10.1016/s0031-9384(03)00047-7