Biological markers in obsessive-compulsive and affective disorders

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) shares some clinical features with affective disorders.
• Previous research identified biological markers abnormal in affective illness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between OCD and affective disorders.
• To assess specific biological markers in OCD patients.
• To determine if these markers predict treatment response to clomipramine.

Main Methods:

• Dexamethasone suppression test.
• Sleep electroencephalography.
• Plasma growth hormone response to clonidine.
• Platelet 3H-imipramine binding.

Main Results:

• Patients with OCD exhibited biological abnormalities similar to those seen in affective illness.
• These affective-like abnormalities were present even in OCD patients without depressive symptoms.
• None of the studied biological markers predicted the clinical response to clomipramine.

Conclusions:

• OCD may share underlying biological mechanisms with affective disorders.
• Further research is needed to understand the neurobiology of OCD.
• Current biological markers are insufficient to guide clomipramine treatment selection in OCD.