UF researcher wins federal grant to study Tourette’s syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder
Thanks to a new $775,000 grant from the National Institute of Mental Health, a University of Florida psychiatrist is investigating whether an infection triggers the onset of obsessive-compulsive disorder and Tourette’s syndrome.
Dr. Tanya K. Murphy, an assistant professor in the College of Medicine’s psychiatry department, is testing whether children with either disorder have immune alterations sparked by exposure to group A streptococcus bacteria – the same kind of bacteria that causes strep throat. Murphy, who is affiliated with UF’s Evelyn F. and William L. McKnight Brain Institute, also will test to see if such infections or changes in immune function are related to exacerbations of their symptoms.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is characterized by excessive worries, doubts or superstitions and by compulsive repetitive behaviors, such as hand washing or checking to see that doors are locked. People with Tourette’s syndrome experience involuntary muscle tics and may have no control over grunts or other vocalizations.
The five-year Mentored Patient-Oriented Career Development Award will cover Murphy’s salary, specialized training in research methods, and research costs. Murphy’s mentors are Dr. Wayne K. Goodman, department of psychiatry chairman; Dr. Elia M. Ayoub, a distinguished service professor in the department of pediatrics; and Dr. Susan Swedo chief of NIMH’s Pediatrics and Developmental Neuropsychiatry branch.