Baclofen and 4-Phenylpyrrolidone Derivative GIZH-290 Attenuates Compulsive-Like Behavior in Mice

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental disease characterized by the obsessions which cause marked distress or anxiety and/or compulsions intended to alleviate this distress. The results of experimental and clinical studies suggest a possible role of GABAB receptors in the pathogenesis of OCD, making it relevant to study the effect of ligands of these receptors on the behavior of rodents. Objectives: Studying the effects of GIZH-290 and baclofen in animal models of OCD. Methods. The effects of GIZH-290 (0.01, 0.1, 1 mg/kg, i.p.) and baclofen (0.1, 1, and 5 mg/kg, i.p.) were studied in the marble burying test and the rotarod test, as well as in the 8-OH-DPAT-induced decrease in spontaneous alternation in mice. Results. Baclofen and GIZH-290 attenuated compulsive-like behavior in mice by reducing the number of buried marbles in the marble burying test at all tested doses. However, the effect of baclofen at a dose of 5 mg/kg was accompanied by a disruption of the animals’ motor coordination in the rotarod test. At the same time, neither baclofen nor GIZH-290 attenuated 8-OH-DPAT-induced (2 mg/kg, i.p.) decrease in spontaneous alternation behavior in mice. On the contrary, baclofen at a dose of 1 mg/kg exacerbated this disruption. Conclusion. Baclofen and GIZH-290 have anticompulsive activity in the marble burying test, but not in the 8-OH-DPAT-induced decrease in spontaneous alternation behavior in mice.