# Alterations of slitrk5a induce OCD-like “checking behaviors” in zebrafish

## TL;DR

This study shows that changes in the slitrk5a gene in zebrafish lead to OCD-like repetitive behaviors, suggesting a link between this gene and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

## Contribution

The study is the first to demonstrate OCD-like behaviors in zebrafish due to slitrk5a gene alterations, supporting its role in neuropsychiatric conditions.

## Key findings

- slitrk5a gene alterations in zebrafish caused increased repetitive checking behaviors.
- The changes did not affect embryonic development or anxiety-like behaviors.
- This finding supports a potential role of SLITRK5 in OCD-like behaviors.

## Abstract

The six transmembrane SLITRK proteins differentially regulate important aspects of neuronal development and function. Variants in
SLITRK5
have been associated with complex neuropsychiatric conditions including obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and
Slitrk5
knockout
mice exhibit overgrooming and anxiety-like behaviors. This study generated
slitrk5a
zebrafish mutants using CRISPR-Cas9. Alterations in
slitrk5a
did not affect F
0
gross embryonic development or anxiety-like behaviors, however, a repetitive, checking behavior was significantly increased in the novel approach test (NAT). This observation in zebrafish supports an emerging association of
SLITRK5
sequence alterations
with OCD-like repetitive behaviors.