Development and temporal organization of compulsive checking induced by repeated injections of the dopamine agonist quinpirole in an animal model of obsessive-compulsive disorder

Rats treated chronically with the dopamine D2/D3 receptor agonist quinpirole develop locomotor sensitization and exhibit compulsive checking of specific places in an open-field arena, a behavioral profile that may represent an animal model of obsessive-compulsive disorder. However, it is not known how compulsive checking develops across quinpirole injections nor whether checking behavior possesses a particular temporal structure. Male rats …