Although past research has shown that genes and the environment a person grows up in play a role in how OCD develops, the exact causes for OCD are still unclear.

This project will explore the biological roots of OCD by (1) analyzing newborn blood samples of those who developed OCD later and seeing if prenatal factors and early DNA methylation (on/off switches for genes) changes play a role in OCD development; and (2) analyzing genetic samples of identical twins (where one has OCD and one does not) to further understand their biological differences, and evaluate whether OCD is related to premature biological aging.

This grant was made possible thanks to the generosity of the Ghosh Mohapatra Family.