Head-twitch response
The head-twitch response (HTR) is a rapid side-to-side head movement that occurs in mice and rats after the serotonin 5-HT2A receptor is activated.[1] The prefrontal cortex may be the neuroanatomical locus mediating the HTR.[2] Many serotonergic hallucinogens, including lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), induce the head-twitch response, so the HTR is used as a behavioral model of hallucinogen effects.
References
- ^ Nakagawasai O, Arai Y, Satoh SE, et al. Monoamine oxidase and head-twitch response in mice. Mechanisms of alpha-methylated substrate derivatives. Neurotoxicology. 2004;25(1-2):223-32.
- ^ Willins DL, Meltzer HY. Direct injection of 5-HT2A receptor agonists into the medial prefrontal cortex produces a head-twitch response in rats. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1997;282(2):699-706.