Spontaneous head twitches in aged rats: behavioral and molecular study

We have discovered that rats at the age of 18 months begin to twitch their heads spontaneously (spontaneous head twitching, SHT). To date, no one has described this phenomenon.

The purpose of this study was to characterize SHT pharmacologically and to assess some possible mechanisms underlying SHT.

Wistar male rats were used in the study. Animals at the age of 18 months were qualified as HSHT (SHT ≥ 7/10 min observations) or LSHT (SHT < 7/10 min observations). Quantitative real-time PCR with TaqMan low-density array (TLDA) approach was adopted to assess the mRNA expression of selected genes in rat's hippocampus.

HSHT rats did not differ from LSHT rats in terms of survival time, general health and behavior, water intake, and spontaneous locomotor activity. 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (DOI) at a dose of 2.5 mg/kg increased the SHT in HSHT and LSHT rats, while ketanserin dose-dependently abolished the SHT in the HSHT rats. The SHT was reduced or abolished by olanzapine, clozapine, risperidone, and pimavanserin. All these drugs have strong 5-HT2A receptor-inhibiting properties. Haloperidol and amisulpride, as antipsychotic drugs with a mostly dopaminergic mechanism of action, did not influence SHT. Similarly, escitalopram did not affect SHT. An in-depth gene expression analysis did not reveal significant differences between the HSHT and the LSHT rats.

SHT appears in some aging rats (about 50%) and is permanent over time and specific to individuals. The 5-HT2A receptor strongly controls SHT. HSHT animals can be a useful animal model for studying 5-HT2A receptor ligands.