CONSIDERATION OF THE RELEVANCE OF ETHOLOGICAL ANIMAL-MODELS FOR HUMANREPETITIVE BEHAVIORAL SPECTRUM DISORDERS

Treatment successes of various stereotyped behaviors in animals and hu mans has renewed interest in ethologic animal models for the study of psychiatric disorders, This report presents another such behavior occu rring in horses to weaving. This anomalous, repetitive, and purposeles s behavior draws analogies to human compulsive spectrum behaviors. A ' 'weaver'' provided all opportunity to evaluate serotonin, dopamine, an d opioid neurotransmitter system contributions by probing each with a selective agent in A-B-A-C-A-D design. The horse was treated in sequen tial I-month periods separated by I-month washouts with a serotonin tr ansport inhibitor (SRI), opiate antagonist (OA), and neuroleptic (DA). Videotape was taken weekly and analyzed by two blind raters. Frequenc y of head swings, latency to onset, and severity were recorded. The SR I showed > 95% symptom reduction, the DA 40%, and OA 30%. The findings suggest that neurochemical explanations of disturbance based on singl e drug vs. placebo trials may be oversimplified. Multiple-system probe s are needed to dissect complex interactive biological systems. Animal model research can have an important role in such investigations. (C) 1997 Society of Biological Psychiatry