Author Description

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and schizophrenia (SCZ) are serious neuropsychiatric disorders that might involve autoimmune processes. Two genes, mapping to a risk region for OCD/SCZ, the myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG), which mediates the complement cascade, and the gamma-aminobutyric acid type B receptor 1 (GABBR1), which functions in the major inhibitory neurotransmitter system, represent candidates for OCD/SCZ. We investigated the transmission of alleles/haplotypes of four MOG and five GABBR1 polymorphisms for possible association with 191 SCZ case-control pairs, 160 OCD and 111 SCZ families using the transmission disequilibrium test, family-based association test or Kruskal-Wallis Test. Significant associations were observed for MOG-(TAAA)n (P = 0.022) with OCD and with OCD severity level (P = 0.020). The MOG haplotype-1.2.2.13 (P = 0.011) was associated with OCD. Trends of overtransmission of GABBR1-7265A variant (P = 0.071) and haplotype-2.1.1.2.1 (P = 0.065) were observed in OCD. Although our results suggest that MOG/GABBR1 were not associated with SCZ, both genes might play a role in OCD.