DeCure's autonomous Rare AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for trichotillomania — screening already-approved drugs against its 1-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleTrichotillomania maps to a 1-gene Open Targets module — the target space DeCure's AI scientist screens approved drugs against.
DeCure.ai methodSignature reversal (LINCS) plus network proximity (STRING) rank already-approved drugs likely to perturb this module — the same engine that produces DeCure.ai's repurposing hypotheses.
Repurposing thesisScreening approved medicines against this disease module, then publishing the evidence for the strongest candidate. Known pharmacology and human exposure data make the first question sharper — they do not establish safety or efficacy in a new indication.
Research record
01
ResearchComing soon
Candidate research + dossier — target rationale, drug-repurposing thesis and evidence pack.proof: Published dossier + on-chain hash
02
ValidationComing soon
In-vitro biological validation at a contract research org (CRO).proof: CRO contract + in-vitro report
03
Peer review & paperComing soon
Peer-reviewed paper published open-access (preprint + journal).proof: DOI + open-access link + on-chain hash
Current lead
No approved-drug candidate for trichotillomania is corroborated in the literature DeepSearch retrieved. Some conditions are managed with non-pharmacological care — a device, surgery or physical therapy — rather than a medicine; that may be the case here, or the literature we found may simply be too sparse yet to support a drug-repurposing angle.
Molecular view
cannabinoid receptor 1 (CNR1) — CNR1 is one of the genes genetically linked to this disease in Open Targets — shown as context, not as a drug target we're pursuing: no approved-drug candidate for this disease is yet corroborated in the literature we found.
Loading structure…
helix sheet 5z,8z,11z,13s,14zdrag to rotate · scroll to zoom
RCSB Protein Data Bank · entry 8GHV · 2.8 Å · ligand (5Z,8Z,11Z,13S,14Z)-N-[(2R)-1-hydroxypropan-2-yl]-13-methylicosa-5,8,11,14-tetraenamide (ZI5). Experimental structure, not a prediction.
What the evidence adds up to
A 1998 case report describes a patient with trichotillomania and a trichobezoar whose hair-pulling improved with fluoxetine and supportive psychotherapy. A 2022 case report also used fluoxetine 80 mg per day, combined with reassurance and habit reversal training, and reported improvement after 30 days. A 2005 overview states that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors appear to be the safest and best-established medication choices, but notes that positive treatment response is not consistent in the literature and that significant relapse often disrupts treatment. The same overview says behavioural therapy may be more effective for some patients.
A 2011 open-label trial of aripiprazole in 12 subjects with trichotillomania found a significant mean reduction of 7.8 points on the Massachusetts General Hospital Hair Pulling Scale and 3.9 points on its Actual Pulling Subscale. Seven of 11 subjects with at least two assessments had a greater than 50% reduction on the scale, and seven had a Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement score of 2 or lower. The mean aripiprazole dose was 7.5 mg per day. The authors call these results promising but note the study was small and open-label, and that larger double-blind placebo-controlled studies are needed.
A 2002 overview mentions a case report of a favourable clinical response to quetiapine in a 33-year-old woman, but provides no group data. The 2005 overview concludes that pharmacotherapy for trichotillomania is not well established due to a lack of positive, controlled, long-term studies. It notes that serotonin reuptake inhibitors have been disappointing, a point echoed in the 2011 aripiprazole paper. The 2005 overview also states that treatment response is often disrupted by significant relapse.
What is still missing are large, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials with long-term follow-up to establish whether any drug produces sustained benefit. No drug has shown consistent efficacy across controlled studies. Patient stratification by severity, comorbidity, or behavioural phenotype has not been tested. Funding for such trials remains limited, and no treatment algorithm bridging pharmacotherapy and behavioural therapy has been validated.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Psychosomatic Medicine · 1998 · 133 citations
Trichobezoars in Trichotillomania
AbstractOBJECTIVE: Although trichobezoars are well described in the surgical literature, there is relatively little in the psychiatric literature on them. This study aims to focus the attention of readers on trichobezoars by means of a case report and an overview of the literature. METHOD: We present a case of a patient with trichotillomania and a trichobezoar, including psychiatric management. We also briefly review the relevant literature. RESULTS: Hair-pulling significantly improved in response to treatment with the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine and supportive psychotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: The medical and psychiatric sequelae of trichotillomania should not be underestimated. Pharmacotherapy may be play a useful role in some patients with this disorder.
American Journal of Psychiatry · 1998 · 65 citations
Retrospective Review of Treatment Outcome for 63 Patients With Trichotillomania
AbstractOBJECTIVE: The authors' goal was to assess naturalistic treatment outcome in trichotillomania. METHOD: Sixty-three patients who had been treated in a specialty clinic for trichotillomania over a period of 6 years were contacted. The patients were given paper-and-pencil instruments that assessed current severity of hairpulling, depression, anxiety, self-esteem, and psychosocial functioning. RESULTS: Significant mean improvement was found on measures of hairpulling, depression, anxiety, self-esteem, and psychosocial functioning. Improvement in hairpulling was associated with greater depression at the time of their index clinic evaluation as well as more improvement in depression after treatment. CONCLUSIONS: State-of-the-art behavioral and pharmacological treatments offer substantial clinical benefit to patients with trichotillomania, both in hairpulling symptoms and ancillary measures of functioning.
Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology · 2011 · 39 citations
Open-Label Trial of Aripiprazole in the Treatment of Trichotillomania
AbstractBACKGROUND: Serotonin reuptake inhibitors have been disappointing in the treatment of trichotillomania (TTM). Recent evidence suggests that medications that modulate dopamine may be helpful in this disorder. OBJECTIVE: To determine if the D2 partial agonist aripiprazole would be effective in the treatment of TTM. METHODS: Twelve subjects participated in an 8-week, open-label, flexible-dose study of aripiprazole treatment of TTM. Primary end points were reduction in the Massachusetts General Hospital Hair Pulling Scale (MGHHPS) and MGHHPS Actual Pulling Subscale (MGHHPS-APS). Secondary end points were the Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement Scale, Hamilton Anxiety Scale, Hamilton Depression Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, and Beck Anxiety Inventory. RESULTS: Eleven of 12 subjects had 2 or more assessments; one subject dropped out during the first week. For subjects with 2 or more assessments, there was a significant mean reduction in both primary end points, the MGHHPS score (mean change, 7.8; SD, ± 7.8; P ≤ 0.01) and the MGHHPS-APS score (mean change, 3.9; SD, ± 4.1; P ≤ 0.02). Seven subjects had a greater than 50% reduction in MGHHPS; 7 subjects had an exit Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement Scale of 2 or lower, and 5 participants had absolute exit scores of 3 or lower on the MGHHPS and 1 or lower on the MGHHPS-APS. There were no significant changes in mood-related secondary end points. The mean aripiprazole dose for all completers (N = 11) was 7.5 mg/d (± 3.4 mg/d). CONCLUSIONS: This small open-label study suggests that aripiprazole is a promising treatment for the treatment of trichotillomania. Larger double-blind, placebo-controlled studies are needed to follow up on these findings.
An Overview of Trichotillomania and Its Response to Treatment with Quetiapine
AbstractThere is a lack of consensus about the pharmacological agent of choice to treat trichotillomania and which rating scales are best suited to measure the clinical severity and improvement of this condition. This overview summarizes the historical background, etiology, diagnostic criteria, epidemiology, course, prognosis, and various pharmacological treatments of trichotillomania. The case report describes a favorable clinical response of a 33-year-old female veteran with trichotillomania to the atypical antipsychotic quetiapine. It also provides data from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Hair Pulling Scale, a 7-item self-report scale that monitors symptom severity and treatment progress.
Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy · 2005 · 17 citations
Pharmacological strategies for trichotillomania
AbstractPharmacotherapy for trichotillomania (TTM) is not well established, due to a paucity of positive, controlled, long-term studies. Although selective-serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) seem to be the safest and best-established medication choices, positive treatment response is not consistent in the literature. Treatment response is often disrupted by significant relapse. Behavioural therapy may be a more effective treatment for some patients. For other patients, other antidepressants, neuroleptics or even topical agents may be helpful. Future investigations should include more controlled studies and longer observation for relapse.
Behandlung einer Trichotillomanie im Erwachsenenalter
AbstractTreatment of Trichotillomania of an Adult Trichotillomania, a behavior where the clients, mostly women, pull their hairs one by one, is much more prevalent than hitherto assumed. The phenomenology is very heterogeneous with a wide range of manifestations reaching from a bad habit to a clinical relevant disorder with great suffer. In recent years there is an accumulating number of publications, especially in the Anglo-American area. There are only few case studies in Germanspeaking countries. The following case study describes the treatment of trichotillomania of a 27-year-old patient. The whole treatment with a period of 80 individual sessions is divided in three parts whose most important therapeutical contents are described in detail. A multiple treatment concept is used. The therapy was successful. The patient showed significant and stable improvements at a 6-month follow-up which can be mainly attributed to better self-control techniques. In the discussion there is a reflection, how there is additionally a contribution of social skills and affect regulation to the success of the therapy.
Indian Journal of Psychiatry · 2022 · 0 citations · open access
Abstract- Poster
AbstractBACKGROUND: Trichotillomania or hair-pulling disorder, is a common but under diagnosed psychological disorder, classified under obsessive-compulsive and related disorders in DSM-5.It is characterized by recurrent body focused repetitive behavior (hair-pulling) and repeated attempts to decrease or stop the behavior. The behavior can occur during both relaxed and stressful times, but there is often a mounting sense of tension before hair pulling occurs or when attempts are made to resist the behavior. Less than 10% of those with Trichotillomania develop Trichophasia and it results in Trichobezoar formation. AIMS: To report and discuss a rare case of Trichotillomania with trichobezoars in young female patient. METHODS: Clinical diagnosis as per DSM-5 and necessary investigations were done. RESULTS: A 20 year old female patient was referred from the department of Dermatology. On evaluation she was found to be having classical features of Trichotillomania and Trichophasia with Alcohol abuse. Significant history of physical abuse and conflicts with husband present. X-ray abdomen revealed Trichobezoars in the stomach. Patient was treated with T.Fluoxetine 80mg per day. Reassurance was given and advised Habit reversal technique. Follow up after 30 days showed improvement in her symptoms. CONCLUSION: Trichotillomania is a rare, chronic, and relapsing disorder, with onset in the early teenaged years. It is a disorder that may have significant medical and psychiatric implications. A treatment algorithm bridging the pharmacological and behavioral therapy must be established in order to counteract and approach such cases effectively.
Disease module: DeepOracle (Open Targets). Structures: RDKit from PubChem SMILES. Literature: retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works (targeted per-candidate search), resolved on OpenAlex.
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