The role of the subthalamic nucleus in 'compulsive' behavior in rats

The European Journal of Neuroscience
Christine WinterDaphna Joel

Abstract

Different lines of evidence point to dysfunction of basal ganglia-thalamocortical circuits in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). It has been hypothesized that the circuits' dysfunction in OCD may be characterized by a relative under-activity of the indirect compared with the direct pathway within these circuits. The present study tested whether lesions of the subthalamic nucleus (STN), a major node of the indirect pathway, would affect compulsive behavior, using the signal attenuation rat model of OCD. In this model, compulsive lever-pressing is induced by the attenuation of an external signal of reward delivery; an attenuation that is hypothesized to simulate the deficient response feedback suggested to underlie obsessions and compulsions in patients with OCD. Rats sustaining lesions to the STN showed a selective increase in compulsive lever-pressing compared with sham-operated rats. A post mortem biochemical analysis revealed a decrease in serotonin content in the prelimbic and infralimbic cortices, caudate-putamen (but not nucleus accumbens), globus pallidus and substantia nigra-ventral tegmental area, as well as a decrease in dopamine content in the caudate-putamen in STN-lesioned compared with sham rats. A comparison to ...Continue Reading

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Citations

Oct 23, 2012·Psychopharmacology·Nobuaki EgashiraMichihiro Fujiwara
Jan 15, 2010·Neuropsychopharmacology : Official Publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology·Eduardo A SchilmanDaphna Joel
Jun 2, 2012·Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery·Kurt Leroy Hoffman
Apr 4, 2012·World Neurosurgery·Stéphan ChabardèsAlim Louis Benabid
Sep 20, 2011·Neuroscience·N Albelda, D Joel
Feb 19, 2011·International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the International Society for Developmental Neuroscience·Yoko TanimuraMark H Lewis
Jun 30, 2009·Progress in Neurobiology·Paolo GubelliniChristelle Baunez
Jan 12, 2011·Behavioural Brain Research·Anaïs Djodari-IraniChristine Winter
Apr 30, 2011·Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews·Noa Albelda, Daphna Joel
Nov 3, 2010·The European Journal of Neuroscience·William I A Haynes, Luc Mallet
Dec 18, 2020·Frontiers in Human Neuroscience·Yvan M Vachez, Meaghan C Creed
Jul 2, 2021·Frontiers in Neuroscience·Ying-Chang WuFu-Zen Shaw

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