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Inflated perceptions of responsibility and obsessive-compulsive symptoms.

In Salkovskis' [Salkovskis, P. (1985). Obsessional-compulsive problems: a cognitive-behavioural analysis. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 28, 571-588; Salkovskis P. (1989) Cognitive-behavioural factors and the persistence of intrusive thoughts in obsessional problems. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 27, 677-682] cognitive model for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), inflated perception of responsibility is highlighted as the critical feature that maintains the disorder. In the current study, the relationship between responsibility and obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms was examined. Specifically, three measures of responsibility were evaluated for their psychometric properties. These measures were then used to test Salkovskis's model by examining the relationships among pervasive responsibility, automatic thoughts related to causing harm, and OC symptom severity. Findings provide partial support for the validity and reliability of the measures and for the model as a whole. Based on regression analyses, data support that pervasive responsibility significantly contributes to the prediction of OC symptoms. Furthermore, this relationship appears to be mediated by automatic thoughts related to causing harm in OCD contexts.

Adult↗

Responsibility attitudes and interpretations are characteristic of obsessive compulsive disorder.

The cognitive-behavioural theory of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) proposes that a key factor influencing obsessional behaviour is the way in which the intrusive cognitions are interpreted. The present paper reports an investigation of links between clinical symptoms (of anxiety, depression and obsessionality) and responsibility beliefs. These beliefs include not only measures of general responsibility attitudes (assumptions) but also more specific responsibility appraisals consequent on intrusive cognitions. The characteristics of two new questionnaires specifically designed to measure these beliefs were assessed in patients suffering from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, in patients suffering from other anxiety disorders and in non-clinical controls. The scales measuring negative beliefs about responsibility were found to have good reliability and internal consistency. Comparisons between criterion groups indicate considerable specificity for both assumptions and appraisals with respect to OCD. There was also good evidence of specificity in the association between responsibility cognitions and obsessional symptoms across groups, and that this association was not a consequence of links with anxiety or depressive symptoms. Although the two measures were correlated, they each made unique contributions to the prediction of obsessional symptoms. Overall, the results are consistent with the hypothesis that responsibility beliefs are important in the experience of obsessional problems.

Adult↗

The relationship of obsessive-compulsive disorder to possible spectrum disorders: results from a family study.

BACKGROUND: The familial relationship between obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and "obsessive-compulsive spectrum" disorders is unclear. This study investigates the relationship of OCD to somatoform disorders (body dysmorphic disorder [BDD] and hypochondriasis), eating disorders (e.g., anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa), pathologic "grooming" conditions (e.g., nail biting, skin picking, trichotillomania), and other impulse control disorders (e.g., kleptomania, pathologic gambling, pyromania) using blinded family study methodology. METHODS: Eighty case and 73 control probands, as well as 343 case and 300 control first-degree relatives, were examined by psychiatrists or Ph.D. psychologists using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Lifetime Anxiety version. Two experienced psychiatrists independently reviewed all diagnostic information and made final consensus diagnoses using DSM-IV criteria. RESULTS: Body dysmorphic disorder, hypochondriasis, any eating disorder, and any grooming condition occurred more frequently in case probands. In addition, BDD, either somatoform disorder, and any grooming condition occurred more frequently in case relatives, whether or not case probands also had the same diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that certain somatoform and pathologic grooming conditions are part of the familial OCD spectrum. Though other "spectrum" conditions may resemble OCD, they do not appear to be important parts of the familial spectrum.

Adult↗

Cerebral metabolic correlates as potential predictors of response to anterior cingulotomy for obsessive compulsive disorder.

BACKGROUND: As interventions for severe, treatment-refractory obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), neurosurgical procedures are associated with only modest efficacy. The purpose of this study was to identify cerebral metabolic correlates as potential predictors of treatment response to anterior cingulotomy for OCD. METHODS: Clinical data were analyzed in the context of a retrospective design. Subjects were 11 patients who underwent stereotactic anterior cingulotomy for OCD. Symptom severity was measured using the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) before and at approximately 6 months postoperative. Preoperative F-18-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) data were available. Statistical parametric mapping methods were used to identify loci of significant correlation between preoperative regional cerebral metabolism and postoperative reduction in Y-BOCS scores. RESULTS: One locus within right posterior cingulate cortex was identified, where preoperative metabolism was significantly correlated with improvement in OCD symptom severity following cingulotomy. Specifically, higher preoperative rates of metabolism at that locus were associated with better postoperative outcome. CONCLUSIONS: A possible predictor of treatment response was identified for patients with OCD undergoing anterior cingulotomy. Further research, utilizing a prospective design, is indicated to determine the validity and reliability of this finding. If confirmed, an index for noninvasively predicting response to cingulotomy for OCD would be of great value.

Adult↗

Neural correlates of anxiety associated with obsessive-compulsive symptom dimensions in normal volunteers.

BACKGROUND: The neural correlates of anxiety associated with obsessive-compulsive symptomlike provocation in normal volunteers are unknown. METHODS: Ten healthy volunteers participated in four functional magnetic resonance experiments. Subjects were scanned while viewing alternating blocks of emotional (normally aversive, washing-relevant, checking-relevant, or hoarding-relevant pictures) and neutral pictures, and imagining scenarios related to the content of each picture type. Nonparametric brain mapping analyses were used. RESULTS: In response to the provocative pictures in all experiments, increases in subjective anxiety and activation in bilateral ventral prefrontal, limbic, dorsal prefrontal, and visual regions were demonstrated. Anxiety related to different symptom dimensions was associated with different patterns of activation: provocation of washing-relevant anxiety predominantly activated dorsal and ventral prefrontal regions; checking-relevant anxiety predominantly activated dorsal prefrontal regions; and hoarding-relevant anxiety predominantly activated ventral prefrontal regions and the left amygdala. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support a dimensional model of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) whereby 1) the brain systems implicated in the mediation of anxiety in response to symptom-related material in normal subjects are similar to those identified in OCD patients during symptom provocation, and 2) anxiety associated with different symptom dimensions is associated with differential patterns of activation of these neural systems. Further investigation of the neural basis of OCD symptom dimensions is required.

Adult↗

Dopamine function in obsessive-compulsive disorder: growth hormone response to apomorphine stimulation.

Indirect observations suggest that the dopaminergic system may be involved in the pathophysiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The dopaminergic function of 15 patients with OCD and 15 age/sex-matched controls was evaluated by measuring the growth hormone (GH) responses to stimulation with the dopaminergic agonist apomorphine (APO), which increases growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH), GH, and somatomedine C (SMD-C) secretions. Therefore, we measured basal plasma GH and SMD-C concentrations and GH responses to GHRH stimulation to exclude that a downstream pathology of the somatotropic axis could obscure the significance of the results of the APO test. The response of prolactin (PRL) to APO inhibition were also measured. Basal plasma levels of GH, SMD-C, and PRL, GH responses to GHRH stimulation, and PRL responses to APO inhibition did not differ in the two groups of subjects. GH responses to APO stimulation were blunted in obsessive-compulsive (OC) patients. The emetic response to the same stimulation was stronger in patients than in controls. These responses suggest that in our OC patients there is a dysregulation of the dopaminergic system, which is possibly expressed in different ways in the various areas of the central nervous system.

Adolescent↗

Plasma melatonin and cortisol in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder: relationship with axillary temperature, physical activity, and clinical symptoms.

BACKGROUND: Many studies have found biological abnormalities in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), although most of them have not been replicated. The investigation of melatonin rhythm may thus provide an indirect clue to neurotransmitter alterations, and allow a biological comparison with depression. METHODS: The circadian variations of plasma melatonin, plasma cortisol, axillary temperature, motor activity, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms have been documented on a circadian basis in 8 patients with OCD compared to 8 paired healthy volunteers. RESULTS: The circadian pattern of axillary temperature was slightly different in OCD patients when compared to control subjects. No significant difference between the two groups could be observed for any other variable studied. CONCLUSIONS: The discrepancies with previous studies are discussed on the basis of the methods used (patients and control subjects samples, biological measurement procedures). An alteration of temperature circadian rhythm hypothesis is suggested.

Adult↗

Effects of catecholamine depletion with AMPT (alpha-methyl-para-tyrosine) in obsessive-compulsive disorder.

BACKGROUND: Several lines of evidence suggest that brain dopamine function may contribute to some obsessive-compulsive (OC) phenomena. The effects of catecholamine depletion were examined in drug-free patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). METHODS: The tyrosine hydroxylase inhibitor alpha-methyl-para-tyrosine (AMPT) and diphenhydramine hydrochloride (placebo) were administered for three consecutive days, one week apart, to 6 drug-free adult OCD patients without a personal or family history of chronic tics, in a double-blind, randomized design. The effects of AMPT and placebo on OC, depression, anxiety and global clinical symptoms were assessed. RESULTS: AMPT produced no clinically or statistically significant change in any behavioral ratings, including OC symptom severity, compared with placebo. CONCLUSIONS: Acute reduction of catecholamine levels does not seem to affect OC symptoms in drug-free patients with OCD. Studies of catecholamine depletion with AMPT in patients with comorbid OCD and chronic tics may be of considerable neurobiological and clinical interest.

Adult↗

Glutamatergic drugs exacerbate symptomatic behavior in a transgenic model of comorbid Tourette's syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

We previously created a transgenic mouse model of comorbid Tourette's syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder (TS+OCD), by expressing a neuropotentiating cholera toxin (CT) transgene in a subset of dopamine D1 receptor-expressing (D1+) neurons thought to induce cortical and amygdalar glutamate output. To test glutamate's role in the TS+OCD-like disorder of these transgenic mice (D1CT-7 line), the effects of glutamate receptor-binding drugs on their behavior were examined. MK-801, a non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist that indirectly stimulates cortical-limbic glutamate output, aggravated a transgene-dependent abnormal behavior (repetitive climbing and leaping) in the D1CT-7 mice at doses insufficient to induce stereotypies, and more readily induced stereotypies and limbic seizure behaviors at high doses. NBQX, a seizure-inhibiting AMPA receptor antagonist, reduced only the MK-801-dependent stereotypic and limbic seizure behavior of D1CT-7 mice, but not their transgene-dependent behaviors. These data imply that TS+OCD-like behavior is mediated by cortical-limbic glutamate, but that AMPA glutamate receptors are not an essential part of this behavioral circuit. Our findings lead to the prediction that the symptoms of human Tourette's syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder are elicited by excessive forebrain glutamate output.

Animals↗

The relationship of obsessive-compulsive disorder to putative spectrum disorders: results from an Indian study.

The relationship between obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and putative obsessive-compulsive (OC) spectrum disorders is unclear. This study investigates the prevalence of putative OC spectrum disorders in OCD subjects in a controlled clinical design. The putative OC spectrum disorders studied included somatoform disorders (body dysmorphic disorder [BDD] and hypochondriasis), eating disorders, tic disorders (e.g., Tourette's syndrome [TS]), and impulse control disorders (e.g., trichotillomania). Only those disorders that are commonly noted to be possibly related to OCD are studied. Included in this study were 231 subjects with a diagnosis of OCD according to DSM-IV criteria and 200 controls who were not screened for psychiatric morbidity. The subjects and controls were assessed in detail by extensive clinical and semistructured interviews by expert clinical psychiatrists. The lifetime diagnoses were made by consensus of two psychiatrists. Prevalence of tic disorders, hypochondriasis, BDD, and trichotillomania was significantly greater in OCD subjects compared to controls. However, the prevalence of sexual compulsions, pathological gambling, eating disorders, and depersonalization disorder was not greater in the OCD subjects compared to controls. The findings of this comorbidity study suggest that tic disorders, hypochondriasis, BDD, and trichotillomania are perhaps part of the OC spectrum disorders. There is a need to evaluate evidence from other sources such as epidemiological, neurobiological, and family studies to further our understanding of the concept of OC spectrum disorders.

Adult↗

Is there a relationship between clozapine and obsessive-compulsive disorder?: a retrospective chart review.

The emergence of obsessive-compulsive symptoms during clozapine treatment has been reported in recent case studies, yet the incidence and significance of this finding is still unclear pending reliable data from a larger sample of patients. Hospital records of 142 randomly selected inpatients started on clozapine treatment at McLean Hospital before July 1, 1992, were reviewed retrospectively. Based on a limited retrospective chart review, there were no definitive cases of patients who developed obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or whose OCD worsened as a result of clozapine treatment. Although some fluctuation of OCD symptoms may have occurred in two cases, it is unclear whether those symptoms were related to treatment with clozapine (or other psychotropic drugs) or to undulations in the natural history of OCD. No definitive relationship between OCD symptoms and clozapine treatment could be established in this limited study. Further clarification of this matter awaits outcome research using prospective methodologies.

Adult↗

Obsessive-compulsive disorder among schizophrenic patients: an exploratory study using functional magnetic resonance imaging data.

Despite the growing research on the etiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and schizophrenia, the clinical distinction between the two disorders is not clearly understood. In the present investigation, we sought to better understand the relationship between OCD and psychotic disorders by examining functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from a group of schizophrenic patients with varying degrees of OCD symptomatology, based on results of the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) rating scales of OCD. While subjects performed a cognitive challenge paradigm that included a verbal fluency task, activation data from the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex were collected and analyzed. We hypothesized that the fMRI signal patterns in schizophrenic patients with high levels of OCD symptomatology would differ from that of schizophrenic patients with a low level of OCD. For the group as a whole, no significant relationship was found for scores of either rating scale and fMRI signal change; however, a significant association was found for a subgroup of patients. For these schizophrenics, there was a negative relationship between OCD symptomatology and activation of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. These results support the suggestion of several researchers that a relationship between OCD severity and neurophysiological activity exists in schizophrenia.

Adult↗

Neuropsychological profile in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder over a period of 4-month treatment.

This study investigated the changes of the neuropsychological functions over a 4-month period of treatment in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Thirty-nine OCD patients and 31 healthy controls were evaluated with neuropsychological and clinical tests. The same tests were readministered 4-months after pharmacological treatment for the OCD patients. At the first series of tests, compared to the controls, the OCD patients were significantly impaired on the immediate and delayed recall of Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (RCFT), and on the letter and category of Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWA). They also showed a prolonged response time on Trail Making Test (TMT), part A. The severity of OCD measured by Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) correlated well with the performance on the immediate and delayed recall of RCFT and the response time on TMT, part A. After 4-months' follow-up, the OCD patients still showed impairment on the immediate and delayed recall of RCFT and COWA category. This is despite the fact that they had improved significantly on these functions in comparison with the controls over the period of treatment. In addition, an association between OCD symptoms and the performance on the neuropsychological tests was not observed. The neuropsychological profile of the OCD patients found in the present study is consistent with current theories proposing that the frontal-striatal system is the possible pathophysiological mechanism underlying the development of OCD.

Adult↗

Obsessive compulsive disorders in adolescence.

This article reports our experience with 14 adolescent cases of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). In contradistinction to other reports in the literature, our results were quite good with these patients. Although we used recommended treatment measures (exposure in vivo and clomipramine drug therapy), we found a good prognosis to be independent to these specific measures. In fact, adolescents tend not to cooperate very well with behaviour therapy and medication. Psychotherapy, on the other hand, was often quite useful. Our conclusion is that non-specific milieu therapy leads to recovery in a majority of adolescent obsessive compulsives. We are not sure as to how long these remissions will last on follow-up.

Adolescent↗

Loudness dependence of auditory evoked potentials in obsessive-compulsive disorder: a pilot study.

In recent years it has been suggested that a serotonergic dysfunction is involved in the pathogenesis of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The loudness dependence of auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) is one of the best validated indicators of the activity of the serotonin system in humans. To explore the validity of the hypothesis of a serotonergic dysfunction in OCD, the loudness dependence of AEPs of 22 medication-free OCD patients were compared with those of 22 age- and gender-matched healthy subjects. Auditory evoked N1/P2 activity to tones of increasing intensity was studied using dipole source analysis. Contrary to the hypothesis, OCD patients and healthy controls did not differ in their LDAEPs of the tangential dipole in particular, located in the primary auditory cortex and closely related to central serotonergic activity. Furthermore, no significant correlation was found between the severity of obsessive-compulsive or depressive symptoms and the loudness dependence of AEPs. These findings do not support the hypothesis of a serotonergic dysfunction in OCD patients.

Adult↗

Olanzapine augmentation of fluvoxamine-refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): a 12-week open trial.

A few studies have tried antipsychotic augmentation in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients who are non-responders to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and tolerability of olanzapine addition to fluvoxamine-refractory OCD patients and to assess if a comorbid chronic tic disorder or a concomitant schizotypal personality disorder was associated with response. Twenty-three OCD non-responders to a 6-month, open-label trial with fluvoxamine (300 mg/day) entered a 3-month open-label trial of augmentation with olanzapine (5 mg/day). OC symptom change was measured with the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) and the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scale. Differences between responders and non-responders were assessed with regard to age, sex, duration of illness, baseline Y-BOCS score, and comorbidity with chronic tic disorders or schizotypal personality disorder. A significant decrease of mean Y-BOCS score between pre- and post-treatment (26. 8+/-3.0 vs. 18.9+/-5.9) was found at endpoint. Ten patients (43.5%) were rated as responders. The most common side effects were mild to moderate weight gain and sedation. In our sample, three patients (13. 04%) had a chronic motor tic disorder, and four (17.39%) had a codiagnosis of schizotypal personality disorder. Concomitant schizotypal personality disorder was the only factor significantly associated with response. It appears that augmentation of olanzapine in fluvoxamine-refractory OCD may be effective in a large number of patients, including those with comorbid schizotypal personality disorder.

Adolescent↗

Error-related brain activity in obsessive-compulsive undergraduates.

Error-related negativity (ERN/Ne) is a component of the event-related brain potential (ERP) associated with monitoring action and detecting errors. It is a sharp negative deflection that generally occurs from 50 to 150 ms following response execution and has been associated with activity involving the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). An enhanced ERN has recently been observed in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). We extended these findings by measuring the ERN in college undergraduates with OC characteristics as measured by the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory (OCI). Eighteen high-OC subjects and 17 low-OC subjects performed a modified Stroop task with equal emphasis placed on speed and accuracy. Response-locked ERPs revealed a frontally maximal negativity associated with erroneous responses that was significantly larger in the high-OCI group. There were no performance differences between the two groups. Our results support the view that the characteristics associated with OCD are related to hyper-functioning error and action-monitoring processes.

Adolescent↗

Response inhibition deficits in obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Difficulty inhibiting irrelevant information may play a central role in the aetiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The aim of the present study was to determine whether OCD subjects (n=20) exhibit deficits in behavioural and cognitive inhibition compared with a clinical control group diagnosed with panic disorder (n=20). All subjects were administered a Go/Nogo task (a measure of behavioural inhibition) and a Stroop test (a measure of cognitive inhibition). OCD subjects made more commission errors on the Go/Nogo task, and they made more errors and displayed longer reaction times on the interference trial of the Stroop task. Trends towards correlations were observed between OCD severity scores and Stroop reaction time, where the more severe the OCD symptoms the faster was the response. No correlations between clinical symptomatology or subject demographics and the Go/Nogo task were observed. It was demonstrated that OCD subjects exhibit deficits in behavioural and cognitive inhibition, which together may underlie the repetitive symptomatic behaviours of the disorder, such as compulsions and obsessions.

Adolescent↗