title: Anti-brain antibodies in adult patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  An autoimmune hypothesis has been suggested for a subtype of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) with childhood onset: obsessions, compulsions and/or tics would result from anti-streptococcal antibodies that cross-react with basal ganglia tissue based on molecular mimicry. Consistent with this hypothesis anti-brain antibodies were detected in sera of children with OCD and/or Tourette's syndrome. In the present study, we tested whether adults with OCD have anti-brain antibodies or other antibodies that serve as markers of autoimmunity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-four DSM-IV OCD (YBOCS> or =16) subjects were recruited and compared to 44 controls with a current Major Depressive Episode for neurological symptoms, ALSO titres, anti-tissue and anti-thyroid antibodies. Anti-brain antibodies were tested by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting methods.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The proportion of subjects with tic comorbidity or positive ASLO titre (>200 IU/ml) was significantly greater in OCD than in MDE patients (21.6 vs. 2.3% and 16.3 vs. 2.3%, respectively). No other differences in antibody parameters were found. 4/74 OCD patients (5.4%) and none of the controls resulted positive for anti-brain antibodies, with a band around 50-60 kDa at the Western blot analysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The methodology used to assess anti-brain antibodies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The majority of adult OCD patients do not seem to have autoimmunity disturbances as compared to a control group. However, a greater percentage of subjects with positive ASLO titres were found among OCD patients. For a small proportion of OCD patients, moreover, autoimmune reactions towards neuronal structures are present although further investigations are needed to demonstrate its etiopathogenetic relevance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Mood and Anxiety Disorders Unit, University of Turin, Italy. giuseppemaina@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Maina
authors.forename: Umberto
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Albert
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bogetto
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Borghese
authors.forename: Alberto Cat
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Berro
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mutani
authors.forename: Ferdinando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.forename: Maria Claudia
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Vigliani
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic / Q000276:immunology*; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000276:immunology; D015153:Blotting, Western; D001921:Brain / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology*; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000276:immunology; D020323:Tics / Q000276:immunology; D005879:Tourette Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic