If you think your dog might be a little obsessive-compulsive, you may be onto something, HealthDay News reported.
Scientists have identified a gene in Dobermans that makes the dog susceptible to obsessive compulsive disorder.
The study, which appears in the journal "Nature Molecular Psychiatry," was authored by Dr. Nicholas Dodman of the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, who said the gene is the same in humans as it is in dogs.
"It's certainly true we have basically the same gene in us, so it's an intriguing lead, but there's a lot more work that has to be done to see if this particular finding is relevant to human health and obsessive compulsive disorder," added Dr. Michael Slifer, an assistant professor of human genetics and genomics at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. "But even if this particular finding is not directly relevant, it still gives us clues as to the pathways and processes that may be going on in humans as well as some possible targets for intervention and treatment."
People with obsessive compulsive disorder, or OCD, tend to have repetitive behaviors and/or thoughts.
Scientists found that dogs with the OCD gene maniacally chase their tails, lick different body parts or blankets.
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