TL;DR: A study published Sept. 1 in Nature Neuroscience identified 36 large-effect risk genes for obsessive-compulsive disorder and chronic tic disorders after analyzing DNA from nearly 4,000 people.

A jump from a few clues to 36 risk genes

The central finding is a sharp expansion in known genetic risk. The study identified 36 high-confidence genes with false discovery rate below 0.1, according to the Nature Neuroscience paper summarized by Exa.

Before this study, only four high-confidence genes had been identified for obsessive-compulsive disorder and chronic tic disorders, according to that same Nature Neuroscience abstract.

The new total includes those four previously identified high-confidence genes: CELSR3, CHD8, SCUBE1 and WWC1, according to the Nature Neuroscience abstract.

It also includes four genes that overlap with obsessive-compulsive disorder genome-wide association study loci: BRWD1, CELSR3, QRICH1 and SYNE1, according to the Nature Neuroscience abstract.

Rutgers University described the work as a Rutgers-led international collaboration that identified 36 genes that substantially raise risk for obsessive-compulsive disorder and chronic tic disorders.

The Straits Times, publishing a Reuters report on Sept. 3, 2026, reported that researchers had identified 36 genes that substantially raise risk for obsessive-compulsive disorder and chronic tic disorders.

The Reuters account said the discovery could lead to new treatments, while Rutgers University said the genes offer new insights for future treatments.

Gary Heiman, a professor in the Department of Genetics in the Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences and a senior coauthor, said the research dramatically expands the catalog of shared risk genes, according to Rutgers University.

Heiman also said the research reveals biological connections with autism and schizophrenia and highlights brain circuits that govern impulse control, movement and habit formation, according to Rutgers University.

The paper title describes the approach as whole-exome sequencing in individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder and chronic tic disorders, according to the Nature Neuroscience record.

What conditions were studied

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is characterized by persistent intrusive thoughts and repetitive behaviors, according to Rutgers University.

Chronic tic disorders, including Tourette syndrome, involve sudden, repeated movements or vocalizations that are difficult to control, according to Rutgers University.

The Straits Times account gave the same descriptions, stating that obsessive-compulsive disorder is characterised by persistent intrusive thoughts and repetitive behaviours and that chronic tic disorders including Tourette syndrome involve sudden, repeated movements or vocalisations that are difficult to control.

Together, the conditions affect millions worldwide, often beginning in childhood, and frequently co-occur within the same individuals and families, according to the National Institutes of Health as cited by Rutgers University.

Many of the newly identified genes are shared between obsessive-compulsive disorder and chronic tic disorders, according to Rutgers University.

The Straits Times also reported that many of the newly identified genes are shared between obsessive-compulsive disorder and chronic tic disorders.

The findings help explain why the conditions often occur together in the same people and families, according to Rutgers University.

At the biological level, the disorders appear to involve many of the same brain pathways, according to Rutgers University and The Straits Times.

How the team searched the DNA

The study analyzed whole-exome sequencing data from 3,964 individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder, chronic tic disorders or both, including 2,418 trios, according to the Nature Neuroscience abstract.

The Straits Times reported that the study analysed DNA from nearly 4,000 people diagnosed with these conditions.

Rutgers University likewise reported that the study analyzed DNA from nearly 4,000 people diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder, chronic tic disorders such as Tourette syndrome or both conditions.

Researchers focused on rare mutations that disrupt genes that help build and operate the brain, according to Rutgers University.

The analysis found an excess in cases of de novo and rare protein-damaging mutations, according to the Nature Neuroscience abstract.

Researchers compared gene sequences from affected individuals with those of their parents and controls, according to Rutgers University.

In many cases, they identified new mutations that appeared in the child but not in either parent, helping pinpoint genes that likely play a role in the disorders, according to Rutgers University.

Scientists used whole-exome sequencing, a technique that reads the sections of genes that instruct the body how to make proteins, according to Rutgers University.

Rutgers researchers helped design the project, curated clinical data and oversaw genetic sequencing, according to Rutgers University.

The work combined genetic data from more than 30 research teams across the United States, Canada, Europe, South Korea and South America, according to Rutgers University.

The effort was driven by a major international collaboration, according to Rutgers University.

Support came from grants from the National Institutes of Health, the New Venture Fund/Foundation for OCD Research, and the New Jersey Center for Tourette Syndrome, according to Rutgers University.

Funding records associated with the Nature Neuroscience paper also list the National Institute of Mental Health, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, National Institutes of Health, and Instituto de Salud Carlos III.

Who led and carried out the work

The Nature Neuroscience author list begins with Belinda Wang, Matthew N. Tran, Sheng Wang, Yuting Liu, Emily Olfson and George Wang, among 107 total authors.

Corresponding authors listed for the paper are Jay A. Tischfield, A. Moses Lee, Gary A. Heiman, Thomas V. Fernandez, A. Jeremy Willsey and Matthew W. State.

Jay Tischfield is an emeritus Distinguished Professor in the Department of Genetics at Rutgers and a senior coauthor, according to Rutgers University.

Tischfield was described by Rutgers University as a pioneer in the study of Tourette syndrome.

Gary Heiman is a professor in the Department of Genetics in the Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences and a senior coauthor, according to Rutgers University.

Heiman and Tischfield are also affiliated with Rutgers' Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, according to Rutgers University.

Heiman and Tischfield have collaborated on genetic studies of brain disorders since 2007, according to Rutgers University.

Other listed contributors include Michael H. Bloch of Yale University, Carolina Cappi of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and Jay A. Tischfield of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.

Additional listed institutions include University of California, San Francisco, Yale University, University of California, Los Angeles, University of Rochester Medicine, University of Florida, University of Miami, Harvard University and Johns Hopkins University.

Genes act in networks, not alone

A major message from the authors concerns shared biology rather than single-gene explanations.

Risk genes are shared among obsessive-compulsive disorder, chronic tic disorders and other neurodevelopmental conditions, according to the Nature Neuroscience abstract.

Rutgers University reported that several of the newly identified genes were previously linked to autism and schizophrenia.

The Straits Times reported that several of the identified genes were previously linked to autism and schizophrenia.

That overlap reinforces increasing evidence that multiple psychiatric conditions may stem from related disruptions in brain development and communication, according to Rutgers University and The Straits Times.

Brain cells communicate using chemical signals called neurotransmitters that carry messages from one nerve cell to another, according to Rutgers University and The Straits Times.

The genes identified in the study appear to influence how those signals move through the brain's circuitry, according to Rutgers University and The Straits Times.

Transcriptomic and network analyses highlight mechanistic convergence, according to the Nature Neuroscience abstract.

Tischfield said the genes do not act individually and instead act in networks, according to Rutgers University and The Straits Times.

Tischfield said researchers can now target whole networks, which will make it easier to design new therapies, according to Rutgers University and The Straits Times.

Where in the brain the risk appears to act

The researchers said the study provides new insight into where these processes occur in the brain, according to Rutgers University.

Analyses of gene activity suggest many of the risk genes are active in regions involved in movement, decision-making and habit formation, including parts of the cortex and striatum, according to Rutgers University.

The Nature Neuroscience abstract reports increased risk gene expression in postnatal cerebellum, prenatal and postnatal cortex and striatum.

Heiman said the work highlights brain circuits that govern impulse control, movement and habit formation, according to Rutgers University.

By revealing the biological systems behind the disorders, the findings could help scientists design drugs that target the underlying mechanisms rather than simply managing symptoms, according to Rutgers University.

The Straits Times gave the same assessment, reporting that revealing the biological systems could aid the design of drugs that target underlying mechanisms rather than simply managing symptoms.

Why more targets could matter for treatment research

Before the study, scientists had found a few genetic clues, each linked separately to obsessive-compulsive disorder or chronic tic disorders, according to Rutgers University.

Tischfield said that in the past researchers knew about a couple of strong genes, so there were few opportunities for the pharmaceutical industry to develop drugs, according to Rutgers University and The Straits Times.

Tischfield said that now researchers have over 30 targets, opening new possibilities for treatment development, according to Rutgers University and The Straits Times.

Heiman said the study moves the field forward and gives a much clearer picture of what is causing these disorders, according to Rutgers University.

Heiman said researchers now have many more directions to pursue as they work toward better treatments, according to Rutgers University.

The Nature Neuroscience abstract states that dozens of large-effect genes offer insights into pathogenesis and a path forward for illuminating pathophysiology and identifying novel treatment targets.

Rutgers University said the 36 genes provide the most detailed biological understanding described by two researchers of how these conditions develop and how they might eventually be treated.

The Straits Times headline framed the same prospect as raising the possibility of new treatments.

Samples collected long before modern sequencing

The researchers said the study would not have been possible without the long-term commitment of families who volunteered DNA samples long before modern sequencing technologies existed, according to Rutgers University.

Heiman said sample collection began 20 years ago, when researchers did not yet have rapid and cost-effective technologies now available, according to Rutgers University.

Those samples were stored at the Rutgers Repository, according to Rutgers University.

Heiman said families volunteered because they wanted to help scientists understand these conditions, according to Rutgers University.

Heiman said those samples have now become highly valuable with modern genome sequencing, according to Rutgers University.

What the study does and does not establish

The published result establishes an association between rare disruptive variation in 36 genes and higher risk for obsessive-compulsive disorder and chronic tic disorders, not a single cause in any individual, according to the descriptions by Nature Neuroscience and Rutgers University.

The design compared affected individuals with parents and controls and emphasized de novo mutations present in a child but absent in either parent, according to Rutgers University and the Nature Neuroscience abstract.

The authors describe a path forward for identifying novel treatment targets, while Rutgers University describes insights for future treatments rather than an available new therapy.

The treatment language used by the coauthors points to possibilities for treatment development and directions to pursue toward better treatments, according to Rutgers University.

The Reuters account similarly describes a discovery that could lead to new treatments, not a treatment already tested or approved.

Readers seeking the underlying gene list can consult the Nature Neuroscience paper titled Whole-exome sequencing in individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder and chronic tic disorders identifies 36 large-effect risk genes.

Readers seeking institutional context can consult the Rutgers University announcement titled Researchers Discover Dozens of Genes Tied to OCD and Tic Disorders.

The Reuters-derived account can be consulted through The Straits Times report titled US scientists find genes linked to OCD, raising the prospect of new treatments.

Sources referenced