Abstract
Sex differences in the prevalence of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in prepubertal children have been described. Deficits on spontaneous alternation behavior (SAB) have been proposed as an animal model of OCD. Objectives: To explore possible sex differences in the ontogeny of SAB and in the effect of the 5-HT 1A agonist, 8-OH-hydroxy-2 (di- n-propylamino)-tetralin (8-OH-DPAT) in an animal model of OCD. Methods: The ontogeny of SAB and the perseveration produced by 8-OH-DPAT were compared between male and female prepubertal rats. Results: Males alternated their arm choose from postnatal day 32 onwards, while females perseverated in the chosen arm until postnatal day 38. The mean number of repetitive choices remained close to 1 in males from postnatal day 23 onwards, but females showed a mean number of repetitive choices higher than 1.5 until the end of the test. The 8-OH-DPAT (0.125, 0.5 and 2.0 mg/kg, 15 min) produced perseveration in males but not in females. Conclusions: These data show important sex differences in the ontogeny of SAB and the effect of 8-OH-DPAT in a model of OCD. Such differences could be relevant for the sex differences in the prevalence of childhood OCD.
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