HOW TO TEST MEDICINES OF OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER??

Abstract

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a psychiatric affliction with a lifetime prevalence of 1-3%. OCD is an anxiety disorder characterized by obsessive thinking (persistent ideas, thoughts, impulses or images that are experienced as intrusive and inappropriate) and compulsive behaviour (repetitive behaviours or mental acts [e.g. hand-washing, checking, praying, and counting]) that causes marked distress or significant impairment. During the last 30 years there have been many attempts to develop animal models of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), in the hope that they may provide a path for furthering our understanding and treatment of this disorder. The present review article provides the reader with an overview of the currently active animal models of OCD with their strengths and limitations. We have reviewed the genetic, pharmacological, neurodevelopmental and behavioural animal models of OCD, and discussed their face validity (derived from phenomenological similarity between the behavior of the animal and the specific symptoms of the human condition), predictive validity (derived from similarity in response to treatment) and construct validity (derived from similarity in the underlying mechanisms).