Black EquaLity in OCD NeuroGenomics (BELONG): Study Protocol

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic, serious psychiatric disorder that affects 2-3% of the population and is associated with high personal and societal costs. Genetic factors are estimated to explain roughly half the risk of developing OCD, and genomic studies are just beginning to identify common and rare genetic variants mediating this risk. A major goal of genomic studies is to yield insights into the etiology of OCD and identify molecular targets for the development of novel therapeutics. However, the overwhelming majority of subjects in existing genetic studies are of European ancestry, limiting the generalizability of these findings. To address this gap in understanding, we established the Black EquaLity in OCD NeuroGenomics (BELONG) study (https://belongocd.com/). BELONG aims to collect DNA and clinical data from 1,250 richly phenotyped OCD cases of African ancestry in a culturally sensitive manner. In addition, BELONG includes the collection of parental DNA samples for trio-based analyses and unrelated matched controls for case-control analysis. DNA samples will be sequenced using optimized approaches that will allow us to examine both rare and common genome-wide variation to identify OCD risk genes. We will also meta-analyze these data with other existing OCD genomic data. Overall, BELONG will increase the representation of Black Americans in OCD genetic research, which is necessary to generalize precision medicine discoveries in psychiatric genetics.