Research program on the Pharmaco-epigenomics of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Greetings! The Neuroscience Research Laboratory at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences (CIBS), Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (IMHANS), Kozhikode is undertaking a Department of Science & Technology (DST) -Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), (Government of India) funded research program on the Pharmacoepigenomics of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). We employ high-throughput genomic approaches to understand epigenetic markers that may contribute to drug resistance in OCD.
We would like to seek your assistance in referring cases of drug-resistant OCD to the Centre for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences (CIBS), Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (IMHANS), Kozhikode for this research program.
Inclusion criteria:
Drug-resistant OCD (n = 20):
- The primary diagnosis should be OCD.
- Drug resistance is defined as individuals with OCD who are unable to achieve symptom remission (persistent and substantial OCD symptomatology defined by a Y–BOCS score > 24)
- Despite the trial of the maximum recommended or tolerated dose of two selective-serotonin receptor inhibitors (SSRI) for at least 10 weeks as first-line treatment AND
- Subsequently received an augmentation of clomipramine, a non-selective serotonin receptor inhibitor (SRI), and antipsychotics.
- Age > 18 years
Drug-responsive OCD (n = 20):
- The primary diagnosis should be OCD.
- The drug-responsiveness is defined as individuals with OCD who could achieve symptom remission with the monotherapy of selective-serotonin receptor inhibitor (SSRI)
- Age > 18 years
Exclusion criteria:
- Seizures, heart arrhythmia, and serotonergic syndrome resulting from combinatorial SSRI and SRI treatment
- Individuals with psychiatric disorders resulting from organic causes, substance abuse, intellectual disability, head injury, neurological, and neurodevelopmental disorders will be excluded.
- Since we are interested in pharmacoresistance, here we are not including the individuals undergoing/undergoing CBT alone with/without response.