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Studies on Psychiatric Disorders pp 131–141Cite as

Relationship Between Oxidative Stress and Obsessive–compulsive Disorder

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Abstract

Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is a psychiatric disorder defined by the presence of obsessive thoughts and repetitive compulsive actions. Various psychological, social, genetic, and biochemical factors are thought to be involved in the etiology of OCD.

Oxidative stress may play an important role in the etiology of OCD. Forms of oxidative stress have been found in OCD patients, including increased lipid peroxidation and SOD; decreased vitamin E, CAT, GPx, and Se; as well as changes in overall oxidative status. Some of these alterations have been linked to OCD symptom severity. These studies have also some important limitations. The varied designs, occasional presence of comorbid influences, and the patient’s medication might make it difficult to identify a clear outcome. The cause of the oxidant–antioxidant imbalance disorder is not known. Oxidative processes can be associated with inflammation and dysfunction in neurotransmitters in OCD. The overall oxidative imbalance may be shifted toward the antioxidant side, which may be due to either a rebound phenomenon or chronicity of the condition. Antidepressants used in the treatment of OCD may have antioxidant properties. NACs, which have anti-inflammatory properties linked to oxidative pathways, may improve the clinical state of OCD patients who were treatment refractory.

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Abbreviations

5HT2A, 5HT1Dbeta:

Serotonin receptor genes

BDNF:

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor

BDV:

Borna disease virus

CAT:

Catalase

DRD2, DRD3, DRDD4:

Dopamine receptor genes

DSM-IV:

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV edition

GSH-Px:

Glutathione peroxidase

hSERT:

Human serotonin transporter gene

IL-1β:

Interleukin-1 β

IL-6:

Interleukin-6

MDA:

Malondialdehyde

MnSOD:

Manganese superoxide dismutase

NAC:

N-acetylcysteine

OCD:

Obsessive–compulsive disorder

OSI:

Oxidative stress index

RP-HPLC:

Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

Se:

Selenium

SOD:

Superoxide dismutase

SRIs:

Serotonin reuptake inhibitors

TAS:

Antioxidant status

TBARS:

Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances

TNF-α:

Tumor necrosis factor α

TOS:

Total oxidant status

UCP-2:

Uncouple-2 antioxidant genes

UV–VIS spectroscopy:

Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy

YBOCS:

Yale–Brown Obsessive–Compulsive Scale

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of Lodz, Czechoslowacka St., 8/10, Lodz, 92-413, Poland

    Jolanta Rabe-Jabłońska M.D., Ph.D.

  2. Department of Biological Psychiatry of the Chair of Experimental and Clinical Physiology, Medical University of Lodz, 6/8 Mazowiecka St., Lodz, 92-215, Poland

    Anna Dietrich-Muszalska M.D., Ph.D.

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  1. Jolanta Rabe-Jabłońska M.D., Ph.D.
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  2. Anna Dietrich-Muszalska M.D., Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Anna Dietrich-Muszalska M.D., Ph.D. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Psychiatry of the Chair of Experimental and Clinical Physiology, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland

    Anna Dietrich-Muszalska

  2. Department of Neurochemistry, New York State Institute for Basic Research, Staten Island, New York, USA

    Ved Chauhan

  3. Departments of Psychiatry and Physiology & Biophysics, University of Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada

    Sylvain Grignon

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Rabe-Jabłońska, J., Dietrich-Muszalska, A. (2015). Relationship Between Oxidative Stress and Obsessive–compulsive Disorder. In: Dietrich-Muszalska, A., Chauhan, V., Grignon, S. (eds) Studies on Psychiatric Disorders. Oxidative Stress in Applied Basic Research and Clinical Practice. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0440-2_6

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