TY - JOUR
T1 - Strain differences in 'compulsive' lever-pressing
AU - Brimberg, Lior
AU - Flaisher-Grinberg, Shlomit
AU - Schilman, Eduardo A.
AU - Joel, Daphna
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was partly supported by the Israel Science Foundation (grant No. 942/01-1).
PY - 2007/4/16
Y1 - 2007/4/16
N2 - In the signal attenuation rat model of obsessive-compulsive disorder, 'compulsive' behavior is induced by attenuating a signal indicating that a lever-press response was effective in producing food. In recent years several studies have reported that Lewis rats, an inbred strain derived from the Sprague Dawley strain, exhibit addictive and/or compulsive tendencies. The aim of the present study was thus to test whether Lewis rats will also show increased compulsivity in the signal attenuation model. Because the model has been developed and validated using Wistar rats only, the present study compared the behavioral response to signal attenuation of Lewis, Sprague Dawley and Wistar rats, and assessed the effects of the anti-compulsive drug paroxetine on compulsive behavior in Lewis and Sprague Dawley rats. The results show that Lewis rats are more 'compulsive' than Sprague Dawley and Wistar rats in terms of both higher levels of compulsive lever-pressing and higher resistance to the anti-compulsive effect of paroxetine. The possibility that these strain differences are related to strain differences in the serotonergic and dopaminergic systems are discussed in light of current knowledge of the pathophysiology and pharmacotherapy of OCD.
AB - In the signal attenuation rat model of obsessive-compulsive disorder, 'compulsive' behavior is induced by attenuating a signal indicating that a lever-press response was effective in producing food. In recent years several studies have reported that Lewis rats, an inbred strain derived from the Sprague Dawley strain, exhibit addictive and/or compulsive tendencies. The aim of the present study was thus to test whether Lewis rats will also show increased compulsivity in the signal attenuation model. Because the model has been developed and validated using Wistar rats only, the present study compared the behavioral response to signal attenuation of Lewis, Sprague Dawley and Wistar rats, and assessed the effects of the anti-compulsive drug paroxetine on compulsive behavior in Lewis and Sprague Dawley rats. The results show that Lewis rats are more 'compulsive' than Sprague Dawley and Wistar rats in terms of both higher levels of compulsive lever-pressing and higher resistance to the anti-compulsive effect of paroxetine. The possibility that these strain differences are related to strain differences in the serotonergic and dopaminergic systems are discussed in light of current knowledge of the pathophysiology and pharmacotherapy of OCD.
KW - Animal model
KW - Lewis
KW - Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
KW - Paroxetine
KW - Post-training signal attenuation
KW - Rat
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/33947308134
U2 - 10.1016/j.bbr.2007.01.014
DO - 10.1016/j.bbr.2007.01.014
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AN - SCOPUS:33947308134
SN - 0166-4328
VL - 179
SP - 141
EP - 151
JO - Behavioural Brain Research
JF - Behavioural Brain Research
IS - 1
ER -