Researchers Find New Pointers To The Potential Cause of OCD

Researchers at QIMR Berghofer are one step closer to understanding what causes obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) after detecting alterations in how different brain regions communicate. This significant discovery may help to steer the development of more tailored and effective treatments for this terrible ailment that affects thousands of Australians. The researchers found in their recent study that the condition is most likely caused by a complicated imbalance impacting certain signaling pathways deep within the brain.

Associate Professor Luca Cocchi, a senior researcher, said the knowledge will help QIMR Berghofer’s attempts to create innovative brain stimulation treatments for OCD—a disorder with few treatment choices and no known cure.

This study offers some important clues as to how we might research and develop treatments that better target OCD and its symptoms,” A/Prof Cocchi said.

“Current drug interventions lack specificity and only meaningfully reduce symptoms in a portion of individuals with OCD. That means a lot of people are not getting the help they need for symptoms that can be severe and significantly diminish their quality of life. We urgently need safe and more effective therapeutic interventions.

Brisbane business consultant Peter Bell said it was a huge relief to see evidence of a physical basis for OCD, a condition he has lived with all his life.

“This is an absolute game-changer for many people with OCD, who have gone through life blaming themselves for their obsessive-compulsive behaviors. It’s a relief to see that OCD is actually linked to this particular imbalance in the brain, as mental illness can often seem less tangible than other diseases or ailments. I think that really contributes to the stigma,” Mr. Bell said.

“It’s also deeply exciting to think that this is just the start—that these findings will fuel further research that will hopefully bring more answers.”

The research, which was published in the journal Brain, is the first to come out of a QIMR Berghofer trial of a possible brain stimulation therapy for OCD. Before delivering the medication, researchers employed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to compare the brains of participants to a control group.
According to lead researcher Dr. Sebastien Naze, patients with OCD had an imbalance affecting distinct pathways and regions of the brain that are associated to emotion regulation and reward.

“While more research is needed, this imbalance is believed to be a main driver and potential cause of OCD symptoms,” Dr. Naze said.

“We aren’t the first researchers to find it, but our study offers important validation and new information on the specific communication between brain regions involved in this imbalance. This gives us some important clues about what’s causing the disease, and how these brain changes could be corrected to reduce OCD symptoms.”

The findings will be used to influence clinical trials of non-invasive and invasive brain stimulation therapy for OCD in 2023, according to the QIMR Berghofer researchers.

They are currently assessing the outcomes of their recently finished experiment using transcranial magnetic stimulation, ahead of further trials examining the effects of deep brain stimulation and ultrasound-based techniques.

“Brain stimulation has proven successful in the treatment of depression, so we’re hopeful that it may help in cases of OCD,” A/Prof Cocchi said.

“The procedures we’re trialing aim to stimulate nerve cells and adjust brain activity—either through magnetic pulses, electrodes implanted in the brain, or sonic waves. And one of the potential advantages is that these types of stimulation can be targeted to the pathways we’ve confirmed as likely being involved in OCD and its symptoms.

“It’s not going to cure the disorder, but it could potentially reduce symptoms to the extent that people can enjoy a relatively normal life and better benefit from psychotherapy.”

Dr. Naze will collaborate with QIMR Berghofer’s brain modeling department on a separate project to investigate hypotheses for addressing potential causes of OCD using advanced computational models of brain signals and neural networks revealed in his research.

OCD affects about 2% of Australians and is defined by distressing obsessive thoughts and compulsive activities, which are frequently related to cleaning, counting, or checking. The syndrome has been connected to depression and anxiety disorders, as well as a high rate of suicide.

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