Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) represents a frequent and highly disabling mental
disorder. Past attempts to characterize different disease subgroups focused on the time of onset
(late vs. early onset), presence of insight (poor insight), and post-infectious forms (pediatric acuteonset neuropsychiatric syndrome, PANS). Each subgroup may be associated with a differing impact
on cognition, functioning, sleep quality, and treatment response profile. Certain lines of evidence
suggest brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels may differ between individuals living with
OCD as compared with controls, but there is a lack of evidence on the variation of BDNF levels
in OCD subgroups. Lastly, the potential of assessing inflammatory states, electroencephalogram,
and polysomnography to characterize these subtypes has been hardly explored. Estimates of drugresistance rates indicate that 20% and up to 65% of affected adults and up to 35% of the pediatric
population may not benefit from pharmacological treatments. At least part of the variability in
treatment response could depend on the underlying biological heterogeneity. In the present project,
we aim to increase the accuracy in characterizing the phenotypical and biological signature for the
different OCD subtypes through clinical, cognitive, and sleep markers, along with other possible
markers that may be biologically plausible