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First whole-genome scan for links to OCD reveals evidence for genetic susceptibility
June 08, 2006A federally funded team of researchers including several from Johns Hopkins have identified six regions of the human genome that might play a role in susceptibility to obsessive compulsive disorder, or OCD. The study was published online June 6 in Molecular Psychiatry.
"OCD once was thought to be primarily psychological in origin," says Yin Yao Shugart, Ph.D., statistical geneticist and associate professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. "But now there is growing evidence that there is a genetic basis behind OCD, which will help us better understand the condition," she says.
OCD is characterized by intrusive and senseless thoughts and impulses that together are defined as obsessions, as well as repetitive and intentional behaviors, referred to as compulsions. OCD is estimated to affect up to 3 percent of the American population.
In what the research team describes as the first whole-genome scan to look for genetic "markers" or similarities in the genomes of people with OCD, results identified six potentially significant regions in the genome, which lie on five different chromosomes that appear "linked" to OCD. It's likely that any genes directly associated OCD are to be found in these regions.
"We've long suspected that, rather than being caused by a single gene, OCD has multiple genetic associations," says Jack Samuels, Ph.D., an epidemiologist and assistant professor of psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
To conduct the study, the researchers collected blood samples from 1,008 individuals from a total of 219 families in which at least two siblings were clinically diagnosed with OCD.
DNA from each sample was analyzed by the Hopkins Center for Inherited Disease Research (CIDR) using both molecular biology and statistical analysis computer programs. Specific DNA sequences — known as genetic markers — on chromosomes 1, 7, 6, and 15 and two markers on chromosome 3 appear more frequently in the patients with OCD than in those without it. The researchers want to further analyze the genetic regions they identified in this report and use more markers to possibly narrow down these regions to identify OCD risk genes.
The researchers suggest that whatever genes are found don't directly cause OCD but increase risk for it in conjunction with other genes or environmental factors.
"OCD is a relative newcomer to these genetic linkage studies," says Shugart, "so it's extremely important to follow up these findings by looking at more families and using more markers to assess the role of gene-environment interactions in OCD. "We are also very interested in finding genes underlying the different subtypes of OCD," she says.
Careful genetic analysis of different clinical categories of OCD has been limited by currently existing computer programs used in analyzing this type of data. The vast amount of data used in whole-genome analysis requires fine-tuned statistical calculations. The research team is eager to develop new methods in this area. "We predict that such findings may have immediate clinical implications for OCD patients,\\\
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
In what the research team describes as the first whole-genome scan to look for genetic "markers" or similarities in the genomes of people with OCD, results identified six potentially significant regions in the genome, which lie on five different chromosomes that appear "linked" to OCD. It's likely that any genes directly associated OCD are to be found in these regions.
"We've long suspected that, rather than being caused by a single gene, OCD has multiple genetic associations," says Jack Samuels, Ph.D., an epidemiologist and assistant professor of psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
To conduct the study, the researchers collected blood samples from 1,008 individuals from a total of 219 families in which at least two siblings were clinically diagnosed with OCD.
DNA from each sample was analyzed by the Hopkins Center for Inherited Disease Research (CIDR) using both molecular biology and statistical analysis computer programs. Specific DNA sequences — known as genetic markers — on chromosomes 1, 7, 6, and 15 and two markers on chromosome 3 appear more frequently in the patients with OCD than in those without it. The researchers want to further analyze the genetic regions they identified in this report and use more markers to possibly narrow down these regions to identify OCD risk genes.
The researchers suggest that whatever genes are found don't directly cause OCD but increase risk for it in conjunction with other genes or environmental factors.
"OCD is a relative newcomer to these genetic linkage studies," says Shugart, "so it's extremely important to follow up these findings by looking at more families and using more markers to assess the role of gene-environment interactions in OCD. "We are also very interested in finding genes underlying the different subtypes of OCD," she says.
Careful genetic analysis of different clinical categories of OCD has been limited by currently existing computer programs used in analyzing this type of data. The vast amount of data used in whole-genome analysis requires fine-tuned statistical calculations. The research team is eager to develop new methods in this area. "We predict that such findings may have immediate clinical implications for OCD patients,\\\
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
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Wrong type of help from parents could worsen child's OCD
For most parents, soothing a child's anxiety is just part of the job. But for a parent whose child has obsessive-compulsive disorder, soothing anxiety and helping with behaviors linked to the disease could lead to more severe symptoms, University of Florida researchers say.
Common autism medication is ineffective for repetitive behaviors, study finds
Citalopram (Celexa), a medication commonly prescribed to children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), was no more effective than a placebo at reducing repetitive behaviors.
Citalopram no better than placebo treatment for children with autism spectrum disorders
Citalopram, a medication commonly prescribed to children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), was no more effective than a placebo at reducing repetitive behaviors.
Antidepressant ineffective against autism spectrum disorder children's obsessive behavior
A new multi-center study, conducted at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in collaboration with five other centers throughout the country, tested the commonly prescribed antidepressant citalopram and found that it was no more effective than placebo in altering obsessive features of the condition - the spinning, rocking and repetitive behavior.
Researchers iron out new role for serotonin
Vanderbilt University Medical Center investigators have found a surprising link between brain iron levels and serotonin, a neurotransmitter involved in neuropsychiatric conditions ranging from autism to major depression.
Study offers new insights into teenagers and anxiety disorders
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Young children with OCD benefit from family-based treatment
Although children as young as 5 can be diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), few research studies have looked at treatments specifically geared toward young children with this disorder.
Rapid effects of intensive therapy seen in brains of patients with OCD
In a study that may significantly advance the understanding of how cognitive-behavioral therapy affects the brain, researchers have shown that significant changes in activity in certain regions of the brain can be produced with as little as four weeks of daily therapy in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
Mental disorders are disorders of the brain
Depression, anxiety disorders such as panic disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorders, alcohol and drug dependence, dementia and Parkinson's disease are just a few examples of "disorders of the brain".
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