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...
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is an intrusive condition that remains difficult to treat. This is due, in part, to the causes behind the disorder remaining hidden. Recent research, however, points the...
Mechanisms by which microglial abnormalities contribute to disease are likely to be shared across distinct etiologies and traditional diagnoses. For instance, abnormal synaptic pruning was observed both in animals inoculated with GAS (which may capture key elements of the pathophysiology of PANDAS) and in mice that develop excessive grooming after inactivation of the progranulin gene. In both cases, increased synaptic pruning cooccurs with microglia activation.
A review of clinical observations and literature reports leads to the hypothesis that, via a process analogous to Sydenham’s chorea, infections with group A β-hemolytic streptococci, among others, may trigger autoimmune responses that cause or exacerbate some cases of childhood-onset obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or tic disorders (including Tourette’s syndrome).