Tufts researchers reveal that in addition to humans, some animals suffer from OCD

    Researchers at Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine recently found that some animals, such as cats, dogs and horses, can be afflicted with the psychiatric condition obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Non-stop or out-of-control tail-chasing, wrist-licking and biting are all signs of this phenomenon.
    "We have noticed several similarities between repetitive behaviors in animals and humans, a lot of times with grooming, eating and locomotion disorders," Clinical Assistant Professor Alice Moon-Fanelli said.
    She explained that it can be disconcerting for pet owners to watch their pets perform these behaviors over and over again and not have any idea what may be wrong with these animals or how to go about helping them.
    "One of my cats has a compulsion with stuffed animals," freshman Rachel Verrengia said. "He carries them all over the house and drops them in random places, and [he] always hides all of his toys under one chair. I have no idea why and it's kind of weird."
    "OCD causes varying degrees of disruption to the animals' lives; these behaviors interfere with their ability to function normally," Moon-Fanelli said.
    But thanks to researchers like Moon-Fanelli and animal behaviorist Dr. Nicholas Dodman, director of the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine behavior clinic, pet owners now have an explanation for their pets' bizarre behavior that they can fully understand. After all, OCD is an extremely common disorder, affecting millions of humans worldwide.
    In fact, Tufts researchers have been looking at the disorder in humans in order to gauge the scope and scale of OCD in animals and potentially determine how best to treat it.
    People with OCD often experience excessive and nonstop anxiety, and their symptoms can range from an over-intensified concern about germs and safety to repetitive hand-washing or
locking doors.
    "OCD appears in humans at around the same young age that it does in animals, and they generally respond to the same types of medication," Moon-Fanelli said.
    Previously, researchers thought that OCD was limited to humans, and while it is not the same in animals, Moon-Fanelli explained that the disorder's effects on them are real and noticeable.
    The causes of OCD in both humans and animals may be genetically based or may be set off by an environmental stimulus. "We are finding that OCD runs in families, so we believe that there is a genetic basis to it, but it also may be triggered by an environmental stimulus like stress," Moon-Fanelli said.
    The disorder may be activated in some animals, because they become restless as a result of not burning enough calories through hunting and other activities. Certain breeds of animals are predisposed to different aspects of the disorder; for example, German Shepherds often chase their tails while Dobermans often bite their sides. Sometimes medication, like serotonin reuptake inhibitors, Prozac or Clomipramine — the same medications given to humans with OCD — is necessary.
    Dodman is working with a neurologist and genetics specialist from the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Dr. Edward Ginn, who is studying the DNA of hundreds of dogs diagnosed with OCD in an attempt to find a link between dog DNA and OCD.
    "It's easier to study dog genes than human genes because the dog genome is simpler and more limited than the human genome," Moon-Fanelli said. "Researchers are actively involved in analyzing the dog DNA to see if we can locate specific regions in the genome that differ between dogs affected with OCD and dogs that are symptom-free."
    Since many of the genes in dogs and humans are the same or similar, Ginn and Dodman hope to discover additional therapies and maybe even cures for OCD in both species. Although more research is needed, their mutual outlook for the future is optimistic.
    "It's great to see Tufts researchers taking a unique approach on OCD," freshman Michael Bernstein said.