title: Compulsivity in mouse strains homologous with chromosomes 7p and 15q linked to obsessive-compulsive disorder.
abstract: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a severe anxiety disorder characterized by obsessions and compulsions. The core symptom of OCD is compulsivity, the inability to stop thinking or acting when you want to, despite being aware of the uselessness of the content or the adverse consequences. To initiate a systematic search for genetic mechanisms underlying the pathophysiology of compulsivity, a panel of chromosome substitution (CS) strains, derived from mice that suppress (C57BL/6J strain) or maintain (A/J strain) high levels of repetitive wheel running during 2 hr of daily limited food access, was screened for this compulsive behavior. Following the genetic screen, we found linkage between compulsive wheel running and mouse chromosomes 2, 6, and 7 that show overlap with recently identified human linkage regions for OCD on chromosomes 7p and 15q. In the overlapping (human/mouse) genomic region, the CRH receptor 2 (CRHR2) gene was tested in a human case-control study. An initial exploration in OCD cases versus controls failed to detect an association between four-candidate CRH2R SNP's within this homologous linkage region and OCD. Genetic fine mapping of compulsivity in mice provides new opportunities to reveal mechanisms underlying this significant psychiatric trait.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands. m.j.h.kas@umcutrecht.nl
authors.forename: Martien J H
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kas
authors.forename: Cigdem
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gelegen
authors.forename: Filip
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: van Nieuwerburgh
authors.forename: Herman G M
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Westenberg
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Deforce
authors.forename: Damiaan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Denys
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000235:genetics*; D018019:Receptors, Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000235:genetics; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D018019:Receptors, Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone