Cited by 106Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum DisordersBody Image and Dysmorphia StudiesPsychoanalysis and Psychopathology Research

The Mouse Who Couldn't Stop Washing: Pathologic Grooming in Animals and Humans

Open access
Feusner, Jamie D., Hembacher, Emily, Phillips, Katharine A.·2009·CNS Spectrums

Abstract

The basic science literature is replete with descriptions of naturally occurring or experimentally induced pathological grooming behaviors in animals, which are widely considered animal models of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). These animal models rely largely on observed similarities between animal behaviors and human OCD behaviors, and on studies of animal pathological grooming disorders that respond to serotonin enhancing drugs. However, current limitations in assessment of complex cognition and affect in animals precludes the field's ability to match the driving primary processes behind observable phenomenology in animal “OCD” with human behavioral disorders. We propose that excessive grooming behaviors in animals may eventually prove to be equally, or possibly more relevant to, other conditions in humans that involve pathological grooming or grooming-like behaviors, such as trichotillomania, body dysmorphic disorder, olfactory reference syndrome, compulsive skin-picking, and onychophagia. Research is needed to better understand pathological grooming behaviors in both humans and animals, as animal models have the potential to elucidate pathogenic mechanisms and inform the treatment of these psychiatric conditions in humans.

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Crossref · 10.1017/s1092852900023567

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  • In mice, the neural substrate for the stereotyped grooming sequence lies in several brain regions including the brain stem and the striatum, where the striatum is thought to regulate the initiation and modulation of grooming behaviors.

    “In mice, the neural substrate for the stereotyped grooming sequence (whisker grooming or coat grooming) lies in several brain regions including the brain stem and the striatum [506], where the striatum is thought to regulate the initiation and modulation of these grooming behaviors [507].”

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  1. [95]Wilner P Wilner P Behavioral models in psychopharmacology Behavioral models in psychopharmacology: theoretical, industrial, and clinical perspectives Cambridge Cambridge University Press 1991 3 18

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Authors
Feusner, J. D., Hembacher, E., & Phillips, K. A.
Affiliations
  • University of California, Los Angeles (US)
  • Brown University (US)
Venue
CNS Spectrums
Published
2009-09
Volume
14
Issue
9
Pages
503-513
ISSN
  • 1092-8529 (ISSN-L)
  • 2165-6509
OpenAlex
W2143659648
Cited by
106
References
93
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 12 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 8
FWCI
1.04
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • CNS Spectrums (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
National Institute of Mental Health (L30 MH081669, K23MH079212, K24MH063975)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Body Image and Dysmorphia Studies
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychoanalysis and Psychopathology Research
Keywords
obsessive-compulsive disorder, trichotillomania, body dysmorphic disorder, olfactory reference syndrome, skin picking disorder, onychophagia
MeSH terms
Alopecia, Animals, Birds, Body Image, Compulsive Behavior, Dermatitis, Feathers, Grooming, Humans, Smell, Trichotillomania, Mice

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