Brain circuit linking amygdala and dorsolateral striatum implicated in OCD
Study in Neuron identifies a previously unknown neural pathway that amplifies sensory-driven behaviors in a mouse model of OCD, offering new targets for precise interventions.
A previously unidentified brain circuit connecting the amygdala and dorsolateral striatum (DLS) plays a key role in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), according to research led by Joshua L. Plotkin at Stony Brook University and published in Neuron. Using a mouse model, the team found that a small projection from the amygdala, involved in emotional processing, to the DLS, which governs habitual behaviors, has an outsized influence on motor responses.
The connection, mapped at single-synapse resolution by first author Zachary Hobel, enhances synaptic plasticity and amplifies sensory-evoked behaviors. For instance, stimulating this circuit while delivering a water droplet to a mouse’s nose prolonged face-grooming long after the stimulus ended, modeling compulsive behavior. Inhibiting the amygdala in OCD-prone mice prevented such OCD-like actions.
Although human and mouse brains differ structurally, their regional organization is similar, and the mice respond to standard OCD medications. Plotkin noted the circuit may explain how emotionally salient experiences strengthen cue-action links, turning normal behaviors into compulsions. The findings point to this amygdala, DLS pathway as a promising target for more precise OCD treatments.
Prepared with AI assistance from the linked source.
More in Health & Nutrition
- Long-term opioid use fails to alleviate chronic back pain, Northwestern University study suggests
Researchers identified distinct brain activity patterns and molecular markers that may guide future treatments for pain management and opioid tapering.
- Human tau seeds trigger disease-specific shapes in mouse brains, new study finds
Study in Nature shows that injectable human tau aggregates from Alzheimer’s and corticobasal degeneration template their 3D folds onto mouse tau, supporting the prion-like seeding model.
- Menopause Largely Missing from Electronic Health Records Despite Its Health Impact
study of nearly 240,000 women finds only 12% of electronic records include menopause status, even though over half reported being in transition.