Original Article   OPEN ACCESS

Effect of curcumin on quinpirole induced compulsive checking:

An approach to determine the predictive and construct validity of the model

Chimakurthy Jithendra, MPharm, Talasila EGK Murthy, PhD.

Department of Pharmacology, Bapatla College of Pharmacy, Bapatla, Andhra Pradesh, India - 522101.

Citation: Jithendra C, Murthy TEGK. Effect of curcumin on quinpirole induced compulsive checking: An approach to determine the predictive and construct validity of the model. North Am J Med Sci 2010; 2: 81-86.    
Doi: 10.4297/najms.2010.281
Availability: www.najms.org
ISSN: 1947 – 2714

Abstract
Background: Disorders of anxiety vary in severity to a wide extent, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) persists as the fourth most common form of mental illness and is reported to be associated with memory impairment, necessitating effective means of treatment. Aim: To study the effect of curcumin on OCD. Methods: The present study includes the determination of effect of curcumin at 5 and 10 mg/kg in quinpirole (0.5 mg/kg) -induced model of OCD, memory retention and brain monoamine levels in rats. Results: A significant improvement from the obsessive-compulsive symptoms induced by quinpirole was observed in curcumin treated rats; curcumin showed a protective effect on memory task. An increase in serotonin levels and a decrease in the dopamine levels were observed in curcumin treated rats. Conclusion: Curcumin treatment had shown a protective effect in OCD with considerable influence on brain monoamine levels, thus providing an evidence for the predictive and construct validity of the model.

Keywords: Obsessive-compulsive disorder, curcumin, quinpirole, water maze apparatus, dopamine, serotonin.