Gene behind Canine Compulsive Disorder identified

Washington, Jan 10 (ANI): Just like humans, dogs can suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, scientists said.

They have identified a gene that makes the animals susceptible to OCD, or its equivalent - Canine Compulsive Disorder, reports Fox News.

The researchers found that some dog breeds, particularly Dobermans and bull terriers, suffering under canine compulsive disorders have issues with common behaviours such as grooming, tail chasing, blanket sucking or pacing and circling.

Through collaboration between Harvard University, the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts, the University of Massachusetts Medical School and others, scientists discovered that the canine chromosome 7 location within the neural cadherin-2 gene, or CDH2, confers a high risk of susceptibility to the disorder.

This highly significant association is the first genetic locus identified for any animal compulsive disorder, raising the intriguing possibility that CDH2 and other proteins are involved in human compulsive behaviours, including those observed in autism. (ANI)