Abstract
Animal models have been invaluable tools for elucidating pathophysiology in many branches of medicine. Their application to the study of complex neuropsychiatric conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), however, raises vexing interpretative challenges. The Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) approach of identifying dimensions of function and dysfunction that cut across syndromic diagnoses provides one potential path forward. We review some of the domains in the current RDoC matrix that may inform our understanding of patients with obsessions and compulsions, and how work in animal model systems is helping to clarify them. We focus on three specific RDoC constructs that may be particularly informative in this context: potential threat, habit, and cognitive control. In each case we review selected recent studies in animal models and their potential contribution to our understanding of OCD, and suggest directions for future research, informed by the animal studies. Such mechanistic work in animal models, in parallel with clinical studies refining our insight into the relationship between these dimensional constructs and the symptomatology of particular groups of patients, may over time help us to generate a more comprehensive understanding of the pathogenesis and complexity of obsessions and compulsions.
Accepted Version
Published Version
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