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Probing the genetic and molecular correlates of connectome alterations in obsessive-compulsive disorder

Molecular Psychiatry volume 27, pages 3558–3559 (2022)Cite this article

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Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is associated with considerably reduced quality of life, role impairment, and morbidity. First-line treatments for OCD fail to provide satisfactory response rates. The development of more effective treatments depends on a better understanding of the biological underpinnings of the disorder.

Several neuroimaging studies have demonstrated abnormalities involving neural structures and their connections, the so-called connectome, in OCD. Meta- and mega-analyses conducted by the Enhancing NeuroImaging Genetics through Meta-Analysis (ENIGMA) consortium revealed structural alterations in cortical and subcortical regions and abnormal structural networks associated with the disorder [1]. Moreover, a meta-analysis of resting-state functional connectivity showed dysfunctional connectivity between different neural networks in OCD [2]. The potential clinical applications of neuroimaging and neurocognitive findings have recently been explored by Shephard et al. [3] in a heuristic neurocircuit-based taxonomy of the disorder. According to this model, distinct clinical profiles of OCD are caused by abnormalities in distinct neurocircuits that can be addressed by specific treatment approaches.

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Fig. 1: Proposed data analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Psiquiatria, Hospital das Clinicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brasil

    Leonardo Cardoso Saraiva

  2. Center of Mathematics, Computing and Cognition (CMCC), Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC), São Bernardo do Campo, SP, Brasil

    João Ricardo Sato

  3. Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States

    Carolina Cappi

  4. Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States

    Carolina Cappi

  5. The Mindich Child Health and Development Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States

    Carolina Cappi

Authors
  1. Leonardo Cardoso Saraiva
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  2. João Ricardo Sato
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  3. Carolina Cappi
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Contributions

LCS: conceptualization of the article, writing of the article and elaboration of Fig. 1. JRS: conceptualization of the article, writing of the article and elaboration of Fig. 1. CC: conceptualization of the article, writing of the article and elaboration of Fig. 1.

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Correspondence to Carolina Cappi.

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Saraiva, L.C., Sato, J.R. & Cappi, C. Probing the genetic and molecular correlates of connectome alterations in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Mol Psychiatry 27, 3558–3559 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-022-01590-y

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