Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, OCD, is an anxiety disorder and is characterized by recurrent, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and/or repetitive behaviors (compulsions). Repetitive behaviors such as handwashing, counting, checking, or cleaning are often performed with the hope of preventing obsessive thoughts or making them go away. Performing these so-called "rituals," however, provides only temporary relief, and not performing them markedly increases anxiety.
We all have habits and routines in our daily
lives, such as brushing our teeth before bed. However, for people with OCD, patterns of behavior get in the way
of their daily lives.
In a recent study, scientists found that mice with a particular gene mutation behave much like humans with OCD.
In the recent study, the rodents have a genetic flaw that prevents their brain cells from producing a protein called
SAPAP3, according to a Duke University Medical Center-led study.
SAPAP3 plays an important role in the transmission of signals between brain cells.
Mice lacking this protein were afraid to move out of the corner of their cages and compulsively groomed their
faces until they bled.
The mice that could not produce this protein exhibited behaviors similar to that of humans with OCD, a compulsive
action coupled with increased anxiety.When the mice were given a replacement dose of SAPAP3 in an area of the brain called the striatum (which controls
the planning and execution of movement), many of them showed improvement. The same was true when they were
given drugs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors -- SSRIs) used to treat humans with OCD.
The study, which was published in the journal Nature, may offer important clues about a
possible mechanism for OCD, which affects about two percent of the world's population.
References (To view, roll mouse over the "References" heading; to hide, click on the heading)
Calvo, R., Lázaro, L., Castro-Fornieles, J., Font, E., Moreno, E., & Toro, J. (2009). Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder traits and personality dimensions in parents of children with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Eur Psychiatry, 24(3):201-6.
Welch, J. M., Lu, J., Rodriguiz, R. M., Trotta, N. C., Peca, J., Ding, J. D., Feliciano, C., Chen, M., Adams, J. P., Luo, J., Dudek, S. M., Weinberg,
R. J., Calakos, N., Wetsel, W. C., & Feng, G. (2007). Cortico-striatal synaptic defects and OCD-like behaviours in Sapap3-mutant mice.
Nature. 448(7156), 894-900.
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