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Animal Models of Self-Injurious Behavior: An Update
1Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA. dpdevine@ufl.edu.
Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.)
|July 6, 2019
Summary
Self-injurious behavior in neurodevelopmental disorders may stem from shared brain issues, particularly involving dopamine. Animal models and human studies suggest dopaminergic insufficiency is a key factor.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Science
- Genetics
Background:
- Self-injurious behavior (SIB) is a common problem in neurodevelopmental disorders.
- The etiology and neurobiology of SIB are not well understood.
- SIB manifests diversely across different genetic and diagnostic groups, suggesting shared underlying mechanisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the biochemical basis of self-injury.
- To investigate the role of dopaminergic insufficiency in SIB.
- To examine findings from animal models and their relevance to human SIB.
Main Methods:
- Review of clinical pharmacotherapy studies.
- Analysis of brain imaging studies.
- Examination of postmortem neurochemical analyses.
- Investigation using animal models of self-injury.
Main Results:
- Convergent evidence points to dopaminergic insufficiency as a significant contributing factor to SIB.
- Animal models show shared biochemical pathways relevant to SIB.
- Findings from animal models align with human expressions of self-injury.
Conclusions:
- Dopaminergic insufficiency is implicated in the neurobiology of self-injurious behavior.
- Animal models provide valuable insights into the biochemical underpinnings of SIB.
- Shared neuropathology may explain SIB across diverse neurodevelopmental conditions.
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