Canine OCD/autism article

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Interesting article:

Canine Compulsive Disorder Gene Identified in Dogs; Shares Family With Recently

Targeted Gene for Autism in Humans

ScienceDaily (Jan. 7, 2010) — A canine chromosome 7 locus that confers a high

risk of compulsive disorder susceptibility has been identified through a

collaboration between the Behavior Service at the Cummings School of Veterinary

Medicine, the Program in Medical Genetics at the University of Massachusetts

Medical School and the Broad Institute at the Massachusetts Institute of

Technology. The findings are published in the January 2010 edition of Molecular

Psychiatry.

________________________________

Obsessive compulsive disorder is characterized by time consuming, repetitive

behaviors and affects about 2 percent of humans, while the equally distressing

canine equivalent, canine compulsive disorder, or CCD, seems to target certain

dog breeds, especially Dobermans and Bull Terriers. For over a decade,

behaviorists Drs. Dodman and Moon-Fanelli, at Tufts Cummings School of

Veterinary Medicine collected blood samples from carefully characterized

Doberman patients exhibiting flank- and/or blanket-sucking compulsive behaviors,

as well as healthy, unaffected Doberman. In 2001, Ginns, PhD, MD, head of

the Program in Medical Genetics at UMass Medical School, joined the effort,

enabling genetic studies that culminated in the genome wide association study

that began in 2007 using the canine Affymetrix genotyping array at the Broad

Institute.

The chromosome 7 location most significantly associated with CCD is located

within the neural cadherin-2 gene, CDH2. CDH2 is widely expressed, mediating

synaptic activity-calcium flux related neuronal adhesion. Dogs showing multiple

compulsive behaviors had a higher frequency of the " risk " associated DNA

sequence than dogs with a less severe phenotype (60 and 43%, respectively,

compared with 22% in unaffected dogs). This highly significant association of

CCD with the CDH2 gene region on chromosome 7 is the first genetic locus

identified for any animal compulsive disorder, and raises the intriguing

possibility that CDH2 and other neuronal adhesion proteins are involved in human

compulsive behaviors, including those observed in autism spectrum disorder. The

neural cadherin-2 gene, CDH2, is an especially attractive candidate disease gene

as it is involved in mediating presynaptic to postsynaptic neuronal junction

adhesion, neuronal axon outgrowth and

guidance in the central nervous system during development when critical brain

nerve networks are established.

" The CDH2 gene is expressed in the hippocampus, a brain region suspected to be

involved in OCD. In addition, this gene oversees structures and processes that

are possibly instrumental in propagating compulsive behaviors -- for example,

the formation and proper functioning of glutamate receptors, " said Dr.

Dodman, professor of clinical sciences at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine

at Tufts University and the study's lead author. Dr. Dodman added that " this

finding is congruent with current evidence that NMDA blockers are effective in

the treatment of OCD. "

" The occurrence of repetitive behaviors and similarities in response to drug

treatments in both canine CCD and human OCD suggest that common pathways are

involved " said Dr. Ginns, professor of Clinical Pathology, Neurology,

Pediatrics, Psychiatry and Neuroscience at UMass Medical School. Dr. Ginns is

hopeful that " our finding will lead to a better understanding of the biology of

compulsive disorder and facilitate development of genetic tests, enabling

earlier interventions and even treatment or prevention of compulsive disorders

in at-risk canines and humans. " " This lead is so intriguing that we look forward

to working with Dr. Dodman's group to extend our current findings to other

populations. " added Dr. Marzena Galdzicka, assistant professor of Clinical

Pathology at UMass Medical School. Collaborations are already in progress with

Dr. Dennis 's group at the National Institute of Mental Health to

determine the extent to which CDH2 confers risk for

human OCD and autism spectrum disorders.

 

 

 

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