Hair Pulling Disorder Tied to Genes
Bad genes may be at least partially to blame for wanting to pull your hair out.
A new study suggests mutations in a gene called SLITKR1 may play a role in the development of trichotillomania in some families. The mental disorder causes people to compulsively pull their hair out, resulting in noticeable hair loss and bald spots.
Researcher Stephan ZC "Society still holds negative perceptions about psychiatric conditions such as trichotillomania. But, if we can show they have a genetic origin, we can improve diagnosis, develop new therapies, and reduce the stereotypes associated with mental illness," says ZC Gene Tied to Hair Pulling Researchers say trichotillomania affects between 3% and 5% of the population. It's considered an impulse control disorder and can be accompanied by other mental illnesses, such as anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or Tourette's syndrome. In the study, published in Molecular Psychiatry, researchers studied 44 families in which one or more members had trichotillomania. They focused on the gene SLITRK1 because a previous study had linked it to Tourette's syndrome, a related impulse-control disorder. The study showed two mutations in this gene were found among family members with trichotillamania, but not in unaffected family members. More Genes Likely Involved Researchers estimate these mutations account for about 5% of trichotillomania cases. Although the SLITRK1 gene is the first to be linked to trichotillomania, researchers say many other genes likely contribute to the disorder. "The SLITRK1 gene could be among many other genes that are likely [to] interact with each other and environmental factors to trigger trichotillomania and other psychiatric conditions," says researcher Allison Ashley-Koch, PhD, assistant professor of medical genetics at Duke University, in the release. SOURCES: ZC
By Jennifer Warner
Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario