ABSTRACT
Compulsive behavior is a trans-diagnostic symptom.However, researchers' understanding of compulsive behavior is still argumentative.Most conventional understanding of compulsive behavior is that this symptom may be related to abnormalities in the brain goal-direct and habitual learning systems.Nevertheless, majority of studies only explore the role of goal-direct system in compulsive behavior, and they pay less attention to how the habit system affects compulsive behavior.However, individuals with compulsive behaviors will show more habitual behaviors and their abnormal brain neural circuits overlap with the brain neural structures activated by habits.Besides, starting from habit system can also explain some genetic risk factors of compulsive behavior.On top of this, habit hypothesis can bring new insights in understanding compulsive behavior from a pharmacological aspect.Therefore, in this review, the evidences from behavioral, neurobiological, genetic and pharmacological aspects were combined to explore the new insights brought by the habit hypothesis in understanding compulsive behavior, and propose the urgent problems need to be solved in current compulsive behavior habit studies.