Genetic study links OCD and Tourette's to autism through brain circuits

Rutgers-led exome study of nearly 4,000 individuals with OCD/CTD identifies 36 high-risk genes (average ~57× risk, up to 210×), greatly expanding the known set and revealing shared genetics with autism and schizophrenia. Risk genes are active prenatally and postnatally in cortex, striatum, thalamus and cerebellum, especially in cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical circuits, suggesting networks as therapeutic targets and underscoring the value of long-running family DNA data. Published in Nature Neuroscience 2026.