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Tight Junction Proteins and Blood-brain Barrier Integrity in Pediatric Obsessive-compulsive Disorder: A Study on

Filiz Akın-Kınay1, Necati Uzun2, İbrahim Kılınç3

  • 1Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Ordu State Hospital, Ordu, Turkey.

Clinical Psychopharmacology and Neuroscience : the Official Scientific Journal of the Korean College of Neuropsychopharmacology
|July 15, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Tight junction proteins, including claudin-5, claudin-12, occludin, and tricellulin, are elevated in children and adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). These findings suggest a potential role for tight junctions in OCD

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Psychiatry
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a debilitating psychiatric condition with incompletely understood origins.
  • Emerging evidence links dysfunctions in tight junctions to the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders.
  • Tight junction proteins are vital for blood-brain barrier integrity and neuronal signaling.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of specific tight junction proteins in the etiopathogenesis of OCD.
  • To explore potential neurobiological mechanisms underlying OCD through the lens of tight junction protein expression.

Main Methods:

  • A case-control study involving 41 medication-free children and adolescents with OCD and 41 healthy controls.
  • Assessment of psychological variables via self-report scales.
  • Quantitative measurement of claudin-5, claudin-12, occludin, angulin-1, and tricellulin levels in blood samples.

Main Results:

  • Significantly elevated levels of claudin-5, claudin-12, occludin, and tricellulin were observed in the OCD group compared to controls.
  • No significant difference in angulin-1 levels was found between the OCD and control groups.

Conclusions:

  • The study demonstrates differential expression of specific tight junction proteins in individuals with OCD.
  • These findings support the hypothesis that tight junction protein alterations may contribute to OCD development.
  • Further research is warranted to elucidate the precise relationship between tight junctions and OCD pathophysiology.
Abstract

Keywords:
Angulin-1Claudin-12Claudin-5Obsessive-compulsive disorderOccludinTricellulin

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