Role of dopamine in the pathophysiology and treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
The differential effects of serotonin-reuptake inhibitors on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) were sufficient to presume that a serotonin regulatory disorder is the most essential part of the pathophysiology of OCD. In patients with OCD, however, a high-dose of serotonin-reuptake inhibitor monotherapy may not be sufficient, and approximately half of patients were noted to be treatment-resistant. As results from previous studies have shown, there have been positive treatment responses to the dopaminergic antagonists. This suggests that other neurotransmitter systems, such as dopamine, are involved in the pathophysiology of OCD. Preclinical, neuroimaging and neurochemical studies have provided evidence demonstrating that the dopaminergic system is involved in inducing or aggravating the symptoms that are indicative of OCD. In this article, we review the dopaminergic system in OCD pathophysiology as well as reviewing the effect of drugs that act on dopaminergic activity in OCD.
Department of Psychiatry, KwanDong University College of Medicine, Gyunggi, Korea. drkooms@daum.net
Min-Seong
MS
Koo
Eun-Ju
EJ
Kim
Daeyoung
D
Roh
Chan-Hyung
CH
Kim
D000818:Animals; D004298:Dopamine / Q000502:physiology*; D018492:Dopamine Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology*
D018492:Dopamine Antagonists; D004298:Dopamine