NEUROBIOLOGICAL EVIDENCE SUPPORTING GLUTAMATE'S ROLE IN PEDIATRIC OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a major public health problem - among the ten most disabling medical conditions worldwide (Murray & Lopez, 1996). The two fundamental reasons to focus on pediatric OCD are first, that OCD typically has its onset during childhood and adolescence (Pauls, Alsobrook, Goodman, Rasmussen & Leckman, 1995) and second, that pediatric OCD is continuous with adult OCD. The age of onset for pediatric OCD ranges from 9 to11 years in boys to 11 to 13 years in girls (Hanna, 1995; Riddle et al., 1990), with an earlier age of onset associated with a more negative outcome (Skoog & Skoog, 1999; Stewart et al., 2004). There is a strong genetic component to OCD, with heritability estimates in children and adolescents ranging from 45% to 65% (van Grootheest, Cath, Beekman & Boomsma, 2005).