Pharmacogenetics of obsessive-compulsive disorder: Investigations of intragenic and regulatory region genetic variations

Gwyneth Zai*, Clement C. Zai, Vanessa F. Gonçalves, Karen Wigg, Christine Lochner, Dan J. Stein, Carol A. Mathews, James L. Kennedy, Margaret A. Richter

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Few pharmacogenetic studies on the use of genetic variations to predict antidepressant response in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) have been published. This study expanded on the limited literature on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) across previously identified putative susceptibility genes for OCD, by incorporating known functional regulatory elements for all genes of interest. We investigated 17 SNPs in 12 genes implicated in OCD risk in 206 European ancestry OCD patients with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressant response data, examining functional polymorphisms in remote regulatory regions. No association was observed between any regulatory region markers tested and drug response. We observed nominally significant associations between SNPs within the serotonin 1B receptor (5HT1B; SNP rs1778258), SLIT and NTRK-like family member 5 (SLITRK5; SNP rs10450811), and fas apoptotic inhibitory molecule 2 (FAIM2; SNP rs706795), with response to any SSRI, which did not survive multiple comparisons. This study supports a potential role for a number of OCD-associated risk genes in response to antidepressant treatment, warranting further investigation.

Original languageEnglish
Article number111315
JournalProgress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry
Volume138
DOIs
StatePublished - 2 Apr 2025
Externally publishedYes

Funding

FundersFunder number
South African Medical Research Council
Genetics Institute at the University of Florida
Ontario Research Foundation
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Foundation
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Brain and Behavior Research Foundation
University of California
Larry and Judy Tanenbaum Family Foundation
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Ontario Mental Health Foundation

    Keywords

    • Antidepressant/drug/treatment response
    • Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
    • Pharmacogenetics
    • Regulatory regions

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