New Study Offers Insight Into OCD

A Doberman pinscher with canine compulsive disorder has similar brain abnormalities to a human with obsessive compulsive disorder, a new study shows.

Veterinarians at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University in North Grafton and researchers at the McLean Imaging Center at McLean Hospital in Belmont teamed up on the research, Tufts officials said Tuesday in a press release.

"People with OCD often exhibit repetitive behaviors or persistent thoughts that are time consuming and interfere with daily routines," Tufts officials said.

"Dogs with CCD engage in repetitious and destructive behaviors such as flank- and blanket-sucking, tail chasing, and chewing. However, both OCD and CCD often respond to similar treatments."