6349—Cellular mechanism of compulsive behavior in a mouse model of trichotillomania

Introduction and objectives: Dysfunction of the striatum of the brain is implicated in compulsive behavior such as trichotillomania. Sapap3-mutant (Sapap3−/−) mice lack a post-synaptic scaffolding protein linked to trichotillomania in genetic studies and mice exhibit compulsive grooming leading to severe skin wounds. Yet the cellular basis of this compulsive behavior remains unknown.