Scientists Identify Genes Linked to OCD, Opening New Routes to Therapy

On September 1, 2026, the journal Nature Neuroscience published a study, involving Professor Tischfield of Rutgers University in New Jersey and colleagues, on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The study analyzed the DNA of nearly 4,000 people diagnosed with these conditions and identified 36 genes that significantly increase the risk of OCD and chronic tic disorders—a finding expected to lead to new treatments for OCD.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a type of anxiety disorder in which patients are often plagued by obsessive thoughts, with recurrent obsessions or compulsions in daily life. Chronic tic disorders, including Tourette syndrome, present as uncontrollable, sudden, repetitive movements or vocalizations.

Tischfield said in a statement: "In the past, we knew of only a few strongly associated genes, so the pharmaceutical industry had few opportunities to develop drugs. Now, with more than thirty targets, this opens up new possibilities for developing new therapies."

Many of the newly identified genes are shared between OCD and chronic tic disorders. The researchers found that, biologically, these diseases appear to involve many of the same brain pathways. They also found that several of these genes had previously been linked to autism and schizophrenia. The finding adds to growing evidence that multiple psychiatric illnesses may arise from related dysfunction in brain development and neural signaling.

Brain cells communicate using chemical signals called neurotransmitters, which carry information between neurons. The genes identified in this study appear to affect how these signals are transmitted through the brain's neural circuits. Uncovering the biology underlying these diseases helps develop drugs targeting the root causes, rather than merely relieving symptoms.

Of course, this research is currently still at the basic-science stage and is far from clinical application. Still, research like this opens new ways of thinking about treating neurological diseases.

At the same time, the study shows that, for diseases now recognized as hard to treat, the single-gene-cause, single-target-medication approach has major limitations. OCD involves 36 genes, so any targeted drug aimed at a single gene will have very limited effect; drug development needs to consider multi-target approaches acting on multiple genes.