ArticleBMC neuroscience2016
Epigenetic evidence for involvement of the oxytocin receptor gene in obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Article in BMC neuroscience, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 37 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
37 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 84 citations in OpenAlex.
- Use of Post-mortem Brain Tissue in Investigations of Obsessive- Compulsive Disorder: A Systematic Review.Current neuropharmacology · 2024Pooled it
- The role of oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) DNA methylation (DNAm) in human social and emotional functioning: a systematic narrative review.BMC psychiatry · 2018Pooled it
- An epigenetic framework for understanding contextual influences on neural and socio-emotional development: Narrative review and case-study of the oxytocin receptor.Developmental cognitive neuroscience · 2026Review
- Functional Genomics Studies of Psychiatric Disorders in Individuals of Latin American Populations: A Scoping Review.American journal of medical genetics. Part B, Neuropsychiatric genetics : the official publication of the International Society of Psychiatric Genetics · 2026Article
- Review
- Exploring the nucleus accumbens circuit and oxytocin therapy in a Sapap3 knockout mouse model of trichotillomania.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- The impact of the early environment on oxytocin receptor epigenetics and potential therapeutic implications.Pediatric research · 2025Review
- The Role of Epigenetics in the Pathogenesis and Potential Treatment of Obsessive-compulsive Disorder.Current neuropharmacology · 2025Review
- Mild internet use is associated with epigenetic alterations of key neurotransmission genes in salivary DNA of young university students.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Microbial Reprogramming in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders: A Review of Gut-Brain Communication and Emerging Evidence.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Review
- Epigenetics in psychiatry: Beyond DNA methylation.World journal of psychiatry · 2023Review
- Epigenetic modifications and obsessive-compulsive disorder: what do we know?Brain structure & function · 2023Review
- Epigenetic modifications and obsessive-compulsive disorder: what do we know?Brain structure & function · 2023Review
- Roles of the Oxytocin Receptor (OXTR) in Human Diseases.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Review
- Sex matters: The impact of oxytocin on healthy conditions and psychiatric disorders.Comprehensive psychoneuroendocrinology · 2023Article
- Psychotherapies and digital interventions for OCD in adults: What do we know, what do we need still to explore?Comprehensive psychiatry · 2023Review
- Maternal distress, DNA methylation, and fetal programing of stress physiology in Brazilian mother-infant pairs.Developmental psychobiology · 2023Article
- Distinct promoter regions of the oxytocin receptor gene are hypomethylated in Prader-Willi syndrome and in Prader-Willi syndrome associated psychosis.Translational psychiatry · 2022Article
- Epigenome-wide DNA methylation in obsessive-compulsive disorder.Translational psychiatry · 2022Article
- Hypermethylation of the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) in obsessive-compulsive disorder: further evidence for a biomarker of disease and treatment response.Epigenetics · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundObsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic neurodevelopmental disorder that affects up to 3% of the general population. Although epigenetic mechanisms play a role in neurodevelopment disorders, epigenetic pathways associated with OCD have rarely been investigated. Oxytocin is a neuropeptide involved in neurobehavioral functions. Oxytocin has been shown to be associated with the regulation of complex socio-cognitive processes such as attachment, social exploration, and social recognition, as well as anxiety and other stress-related behaviors. Oxytocin has also been linked to the pathophysiology of OCD, albeit inconsistently. The aim of this study was to investigate methylation in two targets sequences located in the exon III of the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR), in OCD patients and healthy controls. We used bisulfite sequencing to quantify DNA methylation in peripheral blood samples collected from 42 OCD patients and 31 healthy controls.
resultsWe found that the level of methylation of the cytosine-phosphate-guanine sites in two targets sequences analyzed was greater in the OCD patients than in the controls. The higher methylation in the OCD patients correlated with OCD severity. We measured DNA methylation in the peripheral blood, which prevented us from drawing any conclusions about processes in the central nervous system.
conclusionTo our knowledge, this is the first study investigating DNA methylation of the OXTR in OCD. Further studies are needed to evaluate the roles that DNA methylation and oxytocin play in OCD.
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