Introduction:

Different rodent models of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) have been used with the purpose for understanding this mental disease; in a previous article, we described quinpirole (QP) as a dopaminergic inductor of perseverative behavior.

Objective:

The objective of this study was to evaluate the decrease of QP-induced perseverative behavior observed in an open field after unilateral deep brain stimulation-low frequency (DBS-LF) into the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) in Wistar rats.

Materials and Methods:

A total of 40 adult male Wistar rats were divided into three groups, each group underwent pharmacological treatment: sodium chloride (NaCl), QP, and clomipramine (CMP), these groups were not implanted with an electrode. An additional group was implanted into OFC Sham (SH), and after behavior evaluation, unilateral DBS-LF (6 Hz) was applied during night time for 5 min each side; first left side and after right side.

Results:

Distance traveled significantly decreased in the 5 min observed between QP and NaCl (p = 0.016), and a significant difference was found between NaCl and SH (p = 0.020). There was no significant difference between NaCl and CMP (p = 0.582) or NaCl and DBS-LF (p = 0.829). No significant difference between DBS left side and right side was found (p = 1.00).

Conclusions:

Unilateral DBS of the OFC prevents perseverative behavior in an open field, induced by QP.

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