Head-twitch response
Head movement in rodents upon 5-HT2A receptor activation
Head-twitch response
The head-twitch response (HTR), also sometimes known as wet dog shakes (WDS) in rats, is a rapid side-to-side head movement that occurs in mice and rats in association with serotonin 5-HT2A receptor activation. Serotonergic psychedelics like lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and psilocybin consistently induce the HTR in rodents, whereas non-hallucinogenic serotonin 5-HT2A receptor agonists do not. Because of this, the HTR is widely employed in scientific research as an animal behavioral model of hallucinogen effects and in the discovery of new psychedelic drugs. The HTR is one of the only behavioral paradigms for assessment of psychedelic-like effects in animals, with the other most notable test being drug discrimination. However, the HTR is far less costly and less time-consuming than drug discrimination and hence has become much more popular in recent years. Limitations of the HTR include the fact that various other drugs besides serotonin 5-HT2A receptor agonists, such as NMDA receptor...
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