For Immediate Release NIH Researchers Identify OCD Risk Gene
Scientists at the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National
Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) have
identified a previously unknown gene variant that doubles an
individual’s risk for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The
new functional variant, or allele, is a component of the
serotonin transporter gene ( SERT), site of action for the
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) that are today’s
mainstay medications for OCD, other anxiety disorders, and
depression. “Improved knowledge of SERT‘s role in OCD raises the
possibility of improved screening, treatment, and medications
development for that disorder,” said Ting-Kai Li, M.D.,
Director, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
“It also provides an important clue to the neurobiologic basis
of OCD and the compulsive behaviors often seen in other
psychiatric diseases, including alcohol dependence.”
Approximately 2 percent of U.S. adults (3.3 million people) ha