genetic explanation

• candidate genes

  • researchers have identified genes which create vulnerability for OCD called candidate genes
  • the COMT gene is involved in the production of catechol-o-methyltransferase. It regulates the production of dopamine.
  • One specific form which produces lower activity of the COMT gene and higher levels of dopamine has been found more commonly in OCD patients.
• candidate genes cont

  • the SERT gene which affects the transport of serotonin, creating lower levels of serotonin is also implicated in OCD. One study found a mutation of this gene in two unrelated families where six out of seven family members had OCD.
• OCD is polygenic

  • OCD is polygenic- it is not caused by a single gene, but by a combination of genetic variations that increase vulnerability
  • Taylor (2013) analysed the findings of previous studies and found evidence that up to 230 different genes may be involved in OCD
  • the genes that have been studied have been associated with dopamine and serotonin
• • OCD is aetiologically heterogenous (the origins of OCD varies from person to person
  • different types of OCD may be the result of particular genetic variations such as hoarding disorder and religious obsessions.