Analysis of Educational Attainment in a Mexican Psychiatric Patient Population with Bipolar or Psychotic Disorders.

Schizophrenia has been associated with premorbid poor educational performance and low educational attainment (EA). However, some studies have found positive associations between psychotic disorders and excellent scholastic performance. In the present study, we examined the association between EA and several clinical and nonclinical characteristics in psychiatric patients diagnosed with psychotic or bipolar disorders.

Pediatric neuropsychiatric syndromes associated with infection and microbiome alterations: clinical findings, possible role of the mucosal epithelium, and strategies for the development of new animal models.

Introduction: Pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have been associated with respiratory tract infections and alterations in the intestinal microbiome, respectively. Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndromes (PANS) refers to the sudden onset of neuropsychiatric symptoms that are triggered by several infectious and non-infectious factors. Studies indicate that inflammation plays an important etiological role in PANS, as well as in ASD associated with gut dysbiosis.

Dataset on c-Fos expression within components of corticostriatal thalamocortical circuits during the expression of a compulsive-like behavior in the female rabbit: Brain-behavior relationships.

The dataset describes regional brain c-Fos expression and a component of maternal nest building behavior ("straw carrying") in 5 late term pregnant rabbits that had been allowed to interact with straw (a nest building material) for a discrete period (30 min), during which repetitive straw carrying behavior was initiated. Animals were sacrificed for brain c-Fos immunoreactivity 1 h after straw was placed into their cage. Neuronal c-Fos expression is known to associate with a sustained increase in neuronal excitation above resting levels, primarily due to its induction in response to increased glutamatergic input and corresponding activation of the NMDA receptor.

Activation of cortical and striatal regions during the expression of a naturalistic compulsive-like behavior in the rabbit.

Nest building behavior in the pregnant rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) can serve as a model for compulsions in obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Previous work showed that the "straw carrying" phase of nest building (during which the rabbit repeatedly collects straw in its mouth, carries it into the nest box and deposits it there, and then returns to collect more) is associated with increased c-FOS expression (a marker of neuronal activity) in the orbitofrontal, anterior cingulate, and piriform cortices. In the present study, we quantified c-FOS expression in the caudate and putamen, as well as in the primary motor, somatosensory, and prefrontal cortices of: (1) pregnant rabbits given straw (PREG + STRAW); pregnant rabbits not given straw (PREG); (3) estrous rabbits given straw (ESTROUS + STRAW); and (4) estrous rabbits not given straw (ESTROUS).

Lost in translation? A critical look at the role that animal models of obsessive compulsive disorder play in current drug discovery strategies.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a severe neuropsychiatric illness estimated to affect between 1-3% of the population. In today's literature, there are a number well-validated and convincing animal models of OCD described. Areas covered: Herein, the authors look at the role that animal models of OCD (including transgenic models, deer mouse stereotypy, quinpirole sensitization, post-training signal attenuation, and mouse marble burying) have played in determining the current directions of OCD drug discovery.

Activation of the orbitofrontal and anterior cingulate cortices during the expression of a naturalistic compulsive-like behavior in the rabbit.

We propose that maternal nest building in the female laboratory rabbit is a useful model for compulsions in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). This repetitive behavior comprises collecting straw, depositing it into the nest box, and then returning to collect more straw. We reasoned that if "straw carrying" behavior is homologous to compulsive behavior, then it should be associated with activation of prefrontal regions associated with OCD, namely, the orbitofrontal and anterior cingulate cortices (OFC and ACC, respectively).