The Tomczak Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital’s Department of Neurology is currently conducting a study where they are trying to characterize the gut microbiome in patients with Chronic Tic Disorders (CTD), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and Tic Associated OCD (TOCD) as compared to healthy controls and correlate variations in the gut microbiome with OCD and tic symptom severity. Currently, they are in the recruitment stage and are hoping that they may be able to connect for patient referrals for its study. There are eligibility requirements for the patients that they are recruiting such as:
Inclusion Criteria:
- Individuals who are age 6 to 17 with obsessive-compulsive disorder, chronic tic disorder, or are healthy controls without any neurological conditions.
- Parents or legal guardians willing to provide informed consent.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Individuals who do not speak English
- Patients with bipolar disorder, psychotic disorders, substance use disorders, functional neurologic disorders, Autism spectrum disorder, moderate to severe depression not in remission within the past year, eating disorders, or are pregnant.
- Patients with a prior diagnosis of Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal infections (PANDAS) or Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS).
- Patients with co-morbid GI conditions including obesity, celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome, abdominal migraines, gastrointestinal cancers, gastric emptying disorders, and peptic ulcer disease.
- Patients who have had medication changes in the 4 weeks prior to either stool collection time point.
If you are interested in participating in this study, call 617-919-9302 or email BCHTicsOCD@childrens.harvard.edu. Download a summary of the study’s information.