Obsessive-compulsive disorder

We are still looking for participants for an online survey on the care situation and help-seeking behavior of people with OCD: https://www.soscisurvey.de/ocdstudy/ (in german)

(Prof. Dr. Michael Wagner, Dr. Katharina Bey)

Obsessive compulsive disorder is a relatively common (1 - 3 %) and often chronic mental illness, leading to serious loss of function and suffering in those affected. Although various risk factors in the form of genetic and environmental influences are well documented, the exact interference mechanisms of OCD are only to some extent understood. By examining cognitive and emotional functions, clinical characteristics, personality traits and brain structural and functional parameters, the working group's research efforts aim to gain a better understanding of the Etiology of obsessive compulsive disorder and thus also on the further improvement of the forms of therapy.

Areas

Genetics and epigenetics of obsessive compulsive disorder; Participation in the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC)
Identification of endophänotypes
Connections between different levels of disturbance: Genetics, brain physiology, cognition, behavior, symptoms
Optimizing therapeutic approaches

Research Projects (DFG)

EPOC (since 2014): Neurocognitive endophänotypes of obsessive compulsive disorder and its brain correlates

Publications (selection):

Bey, K., Lennertz, L., Grützmann, R. L., Heinzel, S., Kaufmann, C., Klawohn, J., Riesel, A., Meyhöfer, I., Ettinger, U., Kathmann N., & Wagner, M. (2018). Impaired antisaccades in obsessive-compulsive disorder: evidence from meta-analysis and a large empirical study. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 9, 284. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30008679
Bey, K., Lennertz, L., Riesel, A., Klawohn, J., Kaufmann, C., Heinzel, S., Grützmann, R., Kathmann, N., & Wagner, M. (2017). Harm avoidance and childhood adversities in patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder and their unaffected first‐degree relatives. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 135(4), 328-338. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28160276
Bey, K., Meyhöfer, I., Lennertz, L., Grützmann, R., Heinzel, S., Kaufmann, C., Klawohn, J., Riesel, A., Ettinger, U., Kathmann, N., & Wagner, M. (2018). Schizotypy and smooth pursuit eye movements as potential endophenotypes of obsessive-compulsive disorder. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, 1-9. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29721727
Grützmann, R., Riesel, A., Klawohn, J., Heinzel, S., Kaufmann, C., Bey, K., Lennertz, L., Wagner, M., & Kathmann, N. (2017). Frontal alpha asymmetry in OCD patients and unaffected first-degree relatives. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 126(6), 750-760. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28541065
Heinzel, S., Kaufmann, C., Grützmann, R., Hummel, R., Klawohn, J., Riesel, A., Bey, K., Lennertz, L., Wagner, M. & Kathmann, N. (2018). Neural correlates of working memory deficits and associations to response inhibition in obsessive compulsive disorder. NeuroImage: Clinical, 17, 426-434. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29159055

GENOS (2002 to 2007): Clinical heterogeneity and familiarity of obsessive compulsive disorder

Publications (selection):

Grabe, H. J., Ruhrmann, S., Ettelt, S., Buhtz, F., Hochrein, A., Schulze-Rauschenbach, S., ... & Wagner, M. (2006). Familiality of obsessive-compulsive disorder in nonclinical and clinical subjects. American Journal of Psychiatry, 163(11), 1986-1992. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17074951
Ettelt, S., Grabe, H. J., Ruhrmann, S., Buhtz, F., Hochrein, A., Kraft, S., ... & Wagner, M. (2008). Harm avoidance in subjects with obsessive-compulsive disorder and their families. Journal of Affective Disorders, 107(1-3), 265-269. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17854908
Ettelt, S., Ruhrmann, S., Barnow, S., Buthz, F., Hochrein, A., Meyer, K., ... Wagner, M., … & Grabe. H. J. (2007). Impulsiveness in obsessive–compulsive disorder: results from a family study. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 115(1), 41-47. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17201865
Noh, H. J., Tang, R., Flannick, J., O’Dushlaine, C., Swofford, R., Howrigan, D., ... Wagner, M., … & Lindblad-Toh, K. (2017). Integrating evolutionary and regulatory information with a multispecies approach implicates genes and pathways in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Nature Communications, 8(1), 774. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29042551
Stewart, S. E., Yu, D., Scharf, J. M., Neale, B. M., Fagerness, J. A., Mathews, C. A., ... Wagner, M., … & Pauls, D. L. (2013). Genome-wide association study of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Molecular Psychiatry, 18(7), 788-798. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22889921

We appreciate the support by patients. Study participation and participation in outpatient group therapy for obsessive compulsive disorder are possible independently of each other. If you are interested, please contact Ms. M.Sc. Katharina Bey (+49 228 287-16859).