Unraveling the mystery of OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) is proving to be a slow and arduous task for researchers.
However, a clue was recently discovered by scientists studying a few breeds of man’s best friend.
A Bit About OCD
OCD, according to the International OCD Foundation, is a disorder of the brain and behavior. The disorder causes severe anxiety and involves obsessions and compulsions that interfere with normal daily functioning.
Obsessions are unwanted, disturbing images, thoughts, or impulses that occur repeatedly and seem out of the individual’s control. Compulsions are thoughts or behaviors the person engages in to temporarily relieve anxiety or an obsession.
Canine Genomes and OCD
Shetland sheepdogs, Doberman Pinschers, German shepherds, and bull terriers are canines that experience higher than average rates of OCD. They might, for instance, continually chew on or chase their tail. So, researchers at Broad Institute and Harvard University decided to study the genomes of Dobermans diagnosed with OCD.
An organism’s complete set of DNA—all its genes—is that organism’s genome. Every genome holds all the information necessary to develop and maintain that organism.
For their study, the scientists compared portions of genomes from 60 non-OCD Dobermans, and 90 Dobermans with OCD. The results were then compared to genome scans of Shetland sheepdogs, German shepherds, and bull terriers. The scans detected genes with high rates of mutations.
By comparing the Doberman data with the genome scans, the team narrowed possible “OCD genes” down to four.
New Treatment Hope For OCD
If the genes pinpointed in OCD dogs can be associated to human OCD brain pathways, the dogs can be a model for treatment development.
“This is really exciting because psychiatric diseases tend to be very heritable, but finding genes associated with psychiatric diseases in humans has been really difficult,” said researcher Elinor Karlsson.
What is still unknown is whether genetics can be used to identify the specific neural pathways of psychiatric illnesses, or if drugs can be created to effectively target those pathways.
Still, the researchers are hopeful that their work will eventually lead to new treatments since the currents ones—usually antidepressants and psychotherapy—help only about half of those with OCD find symptom relief.
Source: The Scientist
