Model of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: five-trial, repeated acquisition inhibitory avoidance in spontaneously hypertensive rat pups.

There is no one definitive animal model or test for ADHD. However, behavioral symptoms of this disorder, such as inattentiveness, impulsivity, rate of learning, and hyperactivity, can be evaluated in animals. Unfortunately, many of the cognitive tests used to assess attention and impulsivity require considerable equipment, and financial and time resources. Additionally, many of the genetic animal models are difficult to obtain due to cost, intellectual property issues, or difficulties in breeding sufficient numbers. The spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) is relatively easily obtained and exhibits many behavioral abnormalities analogous to those observed in ADHD. This unit describes a cost-effective and relatively simple approach to modeling ADHD preclinically, by training juvenile SHR pups in a five-trial repeated acquisition inhibitory avoidance model with components of attention and response inhibition. The model is suited to identifying compounds with stimulant and nonstimulant mechanisms of action, although the latter has yet to be verified conclusively in the clinic.