Amphetamine-induced stereotypy in the Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus)

Abstract

Stereotypic behaviors emitted by Mongolian gerbils given large acute doses of amphetamine are similar to analogous behaviors in other species in being repetitive, compulsive units of motor behavior. Qualitative and quantitative descriptions are used to emphasize the interspecies and intraspecies differences in the particular behaviors emitted. The behaviors observed before injection were not predictive of the stereotypies induced by amphetamine. One consistent change in behavior following amphetamine was the change from normal social behavior to social stereotypy, suggesting that the gerbil, a very social animal, may be useful for studying central mechanisms of social behavior.