Small Study Finds Signs of Brain Inflammation in Patients with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers have found signs of inflammation within the neurocircuitry associated with adult obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The findings were reported June 21 in JAMA Psychiatry. Until now, only a small percentage of OCD cases have been linked to inflammation, occurring in a part of the brain called the basal ganglia — potentially as the result of childhood infection. Sophia Attwells, HBSc of the Center for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, Canada and colleagues now use recent advances in positron emission tomography or PET scanning to identify inflammation in multiple parts of the brain involved in OCD.