Marble-burying behavior test as a murine model of compulsive-like behavior.

Object burying by rodents is a popular screening tool for anxiolytic agents. However, modulation of marble-burying by serotonin reuptake inhibitors prompted its link to obsessive-compulsive disorder/compulsive-like behavior. The Marble-burying behavior test is an acute test; however, some investigators incorporate the sub-acute treatment regimen as an essential component for screening anti-compulsive agents.