Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
- Epidemiology
- Comorbidity
- OCD and Tic Disorder
- OCD and Depression
- OCD and Other Anxiety Disorders
- OCD and Phobia
- OCD and OCPD
- OCD and Schizophrenia
- Course and Prognosis
- Etiology
- Specific Clinical Response
- Serotonin Antagonists
- Pharmacological Challenges
- Dopamine
- Immune Factors
- Brain Imaging Studies
- Genetics
- Other Biological Data
- Behavioral Factors
- Psychosocial Factors
- Treatment of OCD
- Efficacy of Serotonergic vs Adrenergic Antidepressants
- Long Term Treatment of OCD
- Drug Dosage
- Psychological Approaches
- Treatment Resistant OCD
- Switching Medications
- Augmentation
- Risperidone
- Pindolol
- Other Options
- Intravenous Clomipramine
- Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors
- Last-line Therapies
Immune Factors
Study of autoimmune factors has been prompted by the association of OCD and the autoimmune disease of the basal ganglia, Sydenham’s chorea. This complication of rheumatic fever is accompanied by obsessive-compulsive symptoms in over 70% of cases . Ten out of 11 children had antibodies directed against the caudate (ibid). These children had a history of obsessive-compulsive symptoms which began prior to the onset of the chorea, reached a peak in line with the motor symptoms and declined with their resolution. This is consistent with the hypothesis of basal ganglia dysfunction in OCD. Antibodies against two peptides of the basal ganglia have also been found . A strong connection was reported between OCD/Tourette syndrome and the B cell antibody D8/17, another anti-brain antibody . The specificity of these antibodies to OCD is as yet unclear. Cell-mediated immune function alterations were reported in OCD, however, replication studies are needed.