Anti-brain antibodies in adult patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
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.
Maina
Giuseppe
G
Department of Neuroscience, Mood and Anxiety Disorders Unit, University of Turin, Italy. giuseppemaina@hotmail.com
Albert
Umberto
U
Bogetto
Filippo
F
Borghese
Cristina
C
Berro
Alberto Cat
AC
Mutani
Roberto
R
Rossi
Ferdinando
F
Vigliani
Maria Claudia
MC
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
D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic