A new study from Yale University may explain why some children suddenly develop obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
The answer might be in the immune system. Researchers found that in some cases, the body’s defense system, which normally fights infections, might be attacking the brain instead. This could lead to symptoms of OCD in children.
The research was led by Christopher Pittenger and published in the American Journal of Psychiatry. It focused on a condition called PANDAS, short for Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal infections.
PANDAS was first described in the 1990s and refers to children who develop OCD or similar symptoms after having a strep throat infection.
Normally, when children get strep throat, their immune system fights the infection by creating special proteins called antibodies. But in children with PANDAS, these antibodies may also attack healthy parts of the brain.
Not all doctors agree that PANDAS is a separate illness, and it has been debated for many years. Still, many parents and some healthcare providers believe it explains certain cases of sudden, severe OCD in children.
These children often show not only OCD symptoms but also other problems like sudden fear of being apart from parents, trouble with movement, frequent urination, or refusing to eat.
In the Yale study, researchers looked at blood samples and brain scans from 27 children with PANDAS and compared them to 23 children without the condition. They discovered that many of the children with PANDAS had high levels of antibodies that were attacking special brain cells called interneurons.
These cells are important because they help control how messages are passed between other brain cells. The researchers noticed that the antibodies were mostly found in a part of the brain called the striatum. This brain area helps control movement and habits and is linked to OCD.
When the antibodies attach to these interneurons, they seem to lower the cells’ activity. This may cause changes in how the brain works and could lead to OCD symptoms. The striatum is also known to be involved in other disorders, such as Tourette syndrome. This is a condition where people make sudden sounds or movements that they cannot control.
Previous research has shown that people with Tourette syndrome may also have fewer of these special interneurons in the striatum. This connection suggests that problems with these brain cells might be part of more than one disorder.
The Yale researchers now want to see if these antibodies are also found in children with other forms of OCD or in those with Tourette syndrome. If they find a link, it could help doctors better understand and diagnose these disorders. It might also lead to new ways to treat children who suffer from these conditions by focusing on the immune system.
While more research is needed, this study offers new hope. It gives scientists and doctors a new direction to explore, and it may help families understand why their children suddenly experience such troubling symptoms.
If you care about mental health, please read studies about 6 foods you can eat to improve mental health, and B vitamins could help prevent depression and anxiety.
For more health information, please see recent studies about how dairy foods may influence depression risk, and results showing Omega-3 fats may help reduce depression.
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