Research Links Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder To Common Childhood Illness
While scientists have speculated on a link between OCD and childhood infections like strep for more than two decades, Prof. Daphna Joel and her team of researchers at Tel Aviv University’s Department of Psychology have now scientifically demonstrated that strep can lead to brain dysfunction and OCD.
Using an animal model, the researchers were able to show that strep antibodies bind to dopamine D1 and D2 receptors in the brain and change the way certain neurotransmitters operate, leading to brain dysfunction and motor and behavioral symptoms in the strep-exposed rats.
