Shorter telomere length in obsessive-compulsive disorder: another evidence of neuroprogression?

There is evidence suggesting that obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a neuroprogressive illness. Telomeres, protective caps at the ends of chromosomes that prevent DNA damage, have been regarded as a potential biological marker associated with disease susceptibility and aging. In this study, we aimed to evaluate telomere length (TL) in OCD patients from Southeast Brazil.

A total of 210 Brazilian individuals were included, 105 OCD patients and 105 control individuals. All participants were matched by age and sex between the two groups. DNA was extracted from buccal cells, and TL (T/S ratio) was assayed by multiplex quantitative polymerase chain reaction method (mmqPCR).

OCD patients exhibited significantly shorter TL than controls (p < 0.0001) in both sexes (males, p = 0.034 and females, p = 0.002). Also, TL correlated negatively with duration of illness, both in the total patients' sample (rho = -0.297, p = 0.003) and in the female OCD sample (rho = -0.341, p = 0.009). Age did not correlate with TL in controls, but it did correlate with TL in OCD subjects (p < 0.0001). Further, partial correlation analysis between TL and duration of illness, controlling for age, rendered the association non-significant. Age of onset and OCD symptom dimensions were not associated with TL in OCD patients.

OCD patients have shorter telomeres than controls, independently of sex. OCD female patients with longer illness duration have also shorter telomeres. Further studies are needed to clarify the mechanisms underlying this relationship and confirm telomere shortening as a promising biomarker of neuroprogression of OCD.