logo
OCD's Origins Might Not Lie in The Brain Like We Thought

OCD's Origins Might Not Lie in The Brain Like We Thought

Yahoo07-07-2025
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) affects up to 3 percent of people worldwide and remains one of the most challenging mental health conditions to treat effectively.
That makes any fresh insight into OCD's root causes especially valuable – like a new study pointing to a surprising suspect: the bacteria living in our gut.
The research from China explored how the gut microbiota – the complex community of bacteria that live in the digestive system – may influence whether a person develops OCD, and identified six types of bacteria that appear to be linked with the condition.
A steady stream of studies has shown close connections between the brain and the gut, but this is the first to provide compelling evidence that gut bacteria may actually help cause it. The researchers used genetic data to strengthen the case for causation.
Related:
"Previous studies have indicated a potential link between the gut microbiota and OCD," write the researchers from Chongqing Medical University in their published paper. "However, the exact causal relationship remains uncertain."
"Our analysis suggested that specific gut microbiota might have a causal relationship with OCD, revealing potential intervention strategies for the prevention and treatment of this disorder."
To explore this link, the researchers used a genetic approach known as Mendelian randomization, which allows scientists to infer causality by analyzing genetic variants that influence both OCD and gut bacteria.
They assessed links between genetic data and gut bacteria in a sample of 18,340 people, and the links between genetic data and OCD in a separate sample of 199,169 people.
Although these were two discrete sets of data, the study used Mendelian randomization to essentially bridge the gap and connect gut bacteria patterns with OCD.
Because our genes are fixed at birth and not shaped by environment or lifestyle, this method helps strengthen the case that gut bacteria might directly contribute to OCD, rather than just being an effect of it.
However, more data and more controlled experiments will be needed to confirm a causal link.
Three types of bacteria appeared to be protective against OCD: Proteobacteria, Ruminococcaceae, and Bilophila. Another three seemed to increase the risk of OCD: Bacillales, Eubacterium, and Lachnospiraceae UCG001.
Interestingly, many of these bacteria have been linked with the brain before. For example, previous studies have found a connection between low levels of Ruminococcaceae species and depression. These findings expand what we already know about the gut-brain axis and how one can affect the other.
"Future research should employ longitudinal designs and diverse populations to validate and expand upon these findings, as well as a more in-depth classification of microbes and their metabolic products, to further understand the role of gut microbiota in OCD," write the researchers.
Down the line – and it's still a way off – we may have a new way to treat or prevent OCD, by controlling gut bacteria mixtures. For people living with the condition – and the families, friends, and clinicians who support them – this could eventually offer new hope.
"Despite the utilization of cognitive behavioral therapy and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in OCD treatment, a notable 25–40 percent of patients experience suboptimal or no response to these interventions," write the researchers.
"Moreover, the personal and societal toll of OCD is substantial."
The research has been published in the Journal of Affective Disorders.
The News Cycle Is a Stress Monster. But There's a Healthy Way to Stay Informed.
Surprise Discovery About Sugar in The Brain Could Help Fight Alzheimer's
Air Pollution 'Strongly Associated' With DNA Mutations Tied to Lung Cancer
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

At-home test works like coffee rings to spot serious illness faster
At-home test works like coffee rings to spot serious illness faster

Fox News

time24 minutes ago

  • Fox News

At-home test works like coffee rings to spot serious illness faster

Have you ever noticed how a spilled cup of coffee leaves behind a telltale brown ring? While those stains might be annoying, the science behind them, known as the coffee ring effect, has sparked innovations in health technology. UC Berkeley researchers recently turned this everyday phenomenon into a breakthrough medical test, making rapid and reliable disease detection as easy as brewing your morning coffee. Curious how a simple coffee stain could inspire cutting-edge diagnostics and revolutionize at-home testing? Let's look at how a forgotten mug on your desk might just save lives. Ever wondered why spilled coffee, wine or tea dries in a ring rather than evenly? This common pattern is known as the "coffee ring effect." The phenomenon occurs because of the liquid's surface tension. As the drop begins to dry, water at the edges evaporates more quickly since that area is thinner. To keep up, liquid from the center flows outward, carrying tiny particles with it. Once the drop is completely dry, these particles settle along the edge, creating the signature ring stain you see on tables and countertops every day. Surprisingly, that annoying coffee ring on your table has inspired a major breakthrough in medical technology. Researchers at UC Berkeley transformed this everyday nuisance into a powerful new at-home diagnostic test. This innovative test can identify diseases like COVID-19, prostate cancer and sepsis with remarkable accuracy. In fact, it is up to 100 times more sensitive than many current rapid tests. Even better, it delivers results in just twelve minutes, depending on the test. The idea began with Kamyar Behrouzi, a former Ph.D. student at UC Berkeley. While developing a COVID-19 biosensor in 2020, he noticed that virus particles, much like coffee particles, tend to gather at the edge of a droplet. By using this natural effect, the researchers designed a test that captures and concentrates disease markers, making detection much easier. Thanks to this stain-inspired science, fast and reliable testing is now possible right at home. So, how does this innovative test actually work? First, you place a small sample from your nose or cheek onto a special membrane. As the sample dries, disease proteins concentrate at the edges to form a visible ring. Next, you add a second droplet containing light-reactive particles. If certain disease biomarkers are present, these nanoparticles light up when exposed to light. You can see positive results with the naked eye in some cases, or verify them more accurately using a special AI-powered smartphone app. This rapid test does more than detect COVID-19. It can also identify early signs of sepsis, a life-threatening infection that needs quick treatment. To make home testing accessible, the UC Berkeley team even created a 3D-printed prototype for easy use on your kitchen counter. According to professor Liwei Lin, this innovative approach could transform regular health screening, with no lab visit required. This coffee ring-inspired test brings hospital-level disease detection right to your home. With results ready in under twelve minutes, you can quickly check for diseases like COVID-19 and even early signs of sepsis. You no longer need to schedule lab visits or wait days for results. Instead, you can take charge of your health from the comfort of your kitchen, using a simple, affordable tool that could catch problems early and help keep your family safe. As technology like this becomes widely available, routine screening could become as easy as making your morning coffee. It's incredible how a common coffee stain inspired a breakthrough in medical testing. Science proves that even life's little messes can spark big innovations. With these advances, you can look forward to faster, easier health checks at home and maybe appreciate your next coffee spill just a little more. Would you trust a coffee stain to help catch disease early? Let us know by writing us at Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy ReportGet my best tech tips, urgent security alerts, and exclusive deals delivered straight to your inbox. Plus, you'll get instant access to my Ultimate Scam Survival Guide - free when you join my Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.

Lightning Kills Way More Trees Than Anyone Thought, New Research Suggests
Lightning Kills Way More Trees Than Anyone Thought, New Research Suggests

Gizmodo

timean hour ago

  • Gizmodo

Lightning Kills Way More Trees Than Anyone Thought, New Research Suggests

We've all seen dramatic footage of lightning striking a mighty tree, its branches going up in flames. But how often does this actually happen? Researchers didn't know how much lightning impacted forests—until now. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have developed a computer model to provide what they claim to be the first estimate of lightning's impact on forest ecosystems around the world. According to their study, lightning affects forests more than previously thought. Specifically, they suggest that around 320 million trees die each year from lightning strikes, not including the trees that die in lightning-induced wildfires. 'Lightning is an important yet often overlooked disturbance agent in forest ecosystems,' the researchers explained in the study, published last month in the journal Global Change Biology. To make their estimate, they integrated observational data and global lightning patterns into a well-known global vegetation simulation. The computer model indicates that trees killed by lightning represent 2.1% to 2.9% of all plant biomass loss annually. While plants and trees absorb CO2 through photosynthesis during their lifetimes, they release a significant amount of it back into the atmosphere when they die and decay. As such, these figures are crucial to better understanding Earth's carbon cycling. With the combined model, 'we're now able not only to estimate how many trees die from lightning strikes annually, but also to identify the regions most affected and assess the implications for global carbon storage and forest structure,' Andreas Krause, lead author of the study and researcher at the Chair of Land Surface-Atmosphere Interactions, explained in a TUM statement. The biomass decay caused by the lightning-killed trees is estimated to emit between 770 million and 1.09 billion tons of carbon dioxide annually. According to the researchers, this is surprisingly high. For comparison, living plants burned in wildfires release around 1.26 billion tons of CO2 every year. Both of these figures, however, are dwarfed by the total wildfires CO2 emissions (including the combustion of deadwood and soil material), which is approximately 5.85 billion tons per year. 'Most climate models project an increase in lightning frequency in the coming decades, so it's worth paying closer attention to this largely overlooked disturbance,' said Krause. 'Currently, lightning-induced tree mortality is highest in tropical regions. However, models suggest that lightning frequency will increase primarily in middle- and high-latitude regions, meaning that lightning mortality could also become more relevant in temperate and boreal forests.' The researchers argue that ecosystem models need to account for lightning mortality in order to better predict vegetation dynamics. Interestingly, though, not all trees die after getting struck by lightning—in fact, some kinda like it.

Spiders may have evolved in the ocean before adapting to land, fossil reveals
Spiders may have evolved in the ocean before adapting to land, fossil reveals

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Spiders may have evolved in the ocean before adapting to land, fossil reveals

One of the creepiest, crawliest creatures of the Earth may have been swimming before adapting to live on land, new research suggests. Spiders and their arachnid relatives may have actually originated in the sea, according to analysis of an "exquisitely preserved" fossil that lived 500 million years ago. The findings were published Tuesday in the journal Current Biology. MORE: 99-million-year-old 'zombie' fungi found preserved in amber, scientists say Researchers at the University of Arizona completed a detailed analysis of the brain and central nervous system of an extinct animal called Mollisonia symmetrica, according to the study. The species was previously thought to represent an ancestral member of a specific group of arthropods called chelicerates that lived during the Cambrian period -- between 540 and 485 million years ago. Chelicerates were believed to be ancestors to modern-day horseshoe crabs. However, the scientists were surprised to discover that the neural arrangements in Mollisonia's fossilized brain are not organized like those in horseshoe crabs. Instead, they are organized the same way as in modern spiders and their relatives, the researchers said. The anterior part of Mollisonia's body -- the prosoma -- contains a radiating pattern of segmental ganglia that control the movements of five pairs of segmental appendages, the researchers said. In addition, an unsegmented brain extends short nerves to a pair of pincer-like "claws," similar to the fangs of spiders and other arachnids. The decisive feature that demonstrates the fossil was likely an early arachnid is the unique organization of the brain -- a reverse of the front-to-back arrangement found in present-day crustaceans, insects, centipedes and horseshoe crabs, the researchers said. MORE: Fossils from giant possum-like mammal that lived 60 million years ago found in Texas It's as if the brain has been "flipped backwards," which is what is seen in modern spiders," said Nick Strausfeld, a regents professor at the University of Arizona and lead author of the paper, in a statement. This may be a crucial evolutionary development, as studies of existing spider brains suggest that a back-to-front arrangement in the brain provides shortcuts from neuronal control centers to underlying circuits, which control the spider's movements, said Frank Hirth, a reader of evolutionary neuroscience at King's College London and co-author of the paper. The arrangement likely helps the spiders hunt stealthily and dexterity for the spinning of webs. The arachnid brain is "unlike any other brain" on Earth, Strausfeld said. "This is a major step in evolution, which appears to be exclusive to arachnids," Hirth said. MORE: Fossils found in North America reveal new species of 'very odd' sea monster: Scientists Spiders and scorpions have existed for about 400 million years with little change -- dominating the Earth as the most successful group of arthropodan predators. The finding challenges the widely held belief that diversification occurred only after a common ancestor had moved to the shore, according to the study. Previous fossil records appeared to indicate that arachnids lived and diversified exclusively on land. "It is still vigorously debated where and when arachnids first appeared, and what kind of chelicerates were their ancestors, and whether these were marine or semi-aquatic like horseshoe crabs," Strausfeld said. While the Mollisonia outwardly resembles some other early chelicerates from the time period, its body was composed of two parts: a rounded "carapace" in the front and a sturdy segmented trunk ending in a tail-like structure, the analysis found. Some researchers had previously compared its body composition to that of scorpions, but no one had previously claimed that it was anything "more exotic" than a chelicerate. The first creatures to come onto land were likely millipede-like anthropods and other ancestral, insect-like creatures -- an evolutionary branch of crustaceans, Strausfeld said. MORE: What paleontologists learned from fossils of a 3-eyed predator that lived 500 million years ago Early insects and millipedes were likely part of the Mollisonia-like arachnid's daily diet when they adapted to land, he added. The first arachnids on land may have also contributed to the evolution of insect wings, a "critical defense mechanism," Strausfeld said. The Mollisonia's lineage likely gave rise to spiders, scorpions, sun spiders, vinegarroons and whip scorpions, the researchers said.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store