Obsessive-compulsive disorder ; GRIN2B gene ; Age of onset.
Abstract
Objectives : An early age at onset of obsessive compulsive symptoms in family studies has been strongly associated with a more familial form of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Further, many reports have suggested that early- and late- onset OCD represent separate subtypes of the disorder. The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between the glutamate receptor, the ionotropic, n-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) subunit 2B gene (GRIN2B) polymorphisms, and onset of OCD in the Korean population. Methods : We recruited 109 OCD patients and classified them into early- (age of onset <18 years) and late-onset groups (age of onset18). Genomic DNA was extracted from their blood after which the genotypes and allelic frequencies of the two GRIN2B polymorphisms (5072T/G and 5988T/C) were compared in the two groups. We also compared genetic data between child- (age of onset15) and adult-onset groups (age of onset19) using the same protocol. Results : There were no significant differences between the early- and late-onset groups with respect to genotype. Moreover, we could not find any differences in genotype frequencies between child and adult-onset groups. Conclusions : Our study suggested that GRIN2B polymorphisms (5072T/G and 5988T/C) do not affect the onset of OCD in Koreans. However, this finding has resulted from a preliminary study and thus, further study is required.