Investigation of plasma allopregnanolone levels in patients with obsessive compulsive disorder

Aim: There are limited studies in OCD patients although there are studies related to neurosteroid and psychiatric disorders in the literature. However, none of these limited studies have investigated allopregnanolone levels. It was thought that the findings of our study will shed light on the elucidation of the etiopathogenesis of the disease in this regard and perhaps contribute to the acquisition of potential new therapeutic targets in the future. Method: 40 patients and 40 healthy volunteers were included in the study according to DSM-5 diagnostic criteria. Then, patients with Beck Depression, Beck Anxiety Rating Scale and Yale-Brown Obsessional Compulsion Rating scales were administered. Blood samples for Allopregnanolon were taken between 09:00 and 10:00 in the morning, after 12 hours of fasting, tobacco abstinence and 30 minutes of rest, taking into account diurnal rhythm of neurosteroids from all patients and controls. Serum allopregnanolone level analysis was performed by ELISA. The data were analyzed with appropriate statistical methods. Results: The main finding of our study; There were no differences between the OCD patients and the control group in terms of allopregnanolone levels. This is a statistically significant decrease in the allopregnanolone level compared to those without compulsive counting / order compulsions. Discussion: In this work; there was no difference in allopregnanolone levels between the patient and control group, however allopregnanolone levels were lower when the symptom subtypes were examined in-house compared to those without count / order compulsions. This finding supports the results of a study in rodents that showed that allopregnanolone suppressed compulsive behavior. In addition, only a compulsive type of compulsive symptom is significantly lowered, suggesting that the different etiopathogenesis may play a role in the symptom subtypes of OCD, which is being discussed in recent years. Based on the results of our study, it is difficult to say precisely that allopregnanol is a protective, complementary, biocompatible process in OCD. In conclusion, the studies to be conducted with the inclusion of a larger number of patients, in which both men and women are evaluated, seem to be important for clarifying at least some aspects of the allopregnanolon-OCD relationship.