2nd Edition of Public Health World Conference (PHWC) 2026

Abstract

Behavior is the ultimate output of the nervous system, and ethology has long pioneered cutting-edge methods for the precise quantification of both human and animal action. Remarkably, these robust behavioral frameworks have rarely been applied to psychiatric research, where behavior itself serves as the most conspicuous manifestation of the disorders.

This talk demonstrates how a methodology derived from a validated animal model of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) – the quinpirole model – was directly translated to evaluate human patients. Applying this ethological approach to clinical populations unveils critical, previously unquantified dimensions of OCD, including the precise syntax of repetition and addition of acts, feelings of incompleteness, and the strict spatial binding between behavioral rituals and specific locations. Furthermore, this objective methodology provides a rigorous quantitative standard that cuts through the vast clinical variability observed among patients.

As a truly translational, "bench-to-bedside" framework, these ethological tools are now being implemented in OCD clinics to map motor rituals. We illustrate the broader utility of this approach through a case study analyzing the complex rituals of patients with comorbid OCD and schizophrenia. Finally, we discuss how this methodology is currently being deployed to chart the trajectory of OCD rituals as a function of patient age, age of onset, and treatment history. Ultimately, this work establishes ethology not merely as a descriptive discipline, but as a precise analytical bridge capable of uncovering the structural roots of diverse psychiatric disorders.