The Tryptophan Depletion Test: Impact on Sleep in Healthy Subjects and Patients with Obsessive—Compulsive Disorder

1999 ◽  
pp. 35-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ch. Huwig-Poppe ◽  
U. Voderholzer ◽  
J. Backhaus ◽  
D. Riemann ◽  
A. König ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Healthy Subjects ◽  
Tryptophan Depletion ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Test Impact

Differential role of visuospatial working memory in the propensity toward uncertainty in patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder and in healthy subjects

2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (10) ◽  
pp. 2113-2124 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Lambrecq ◽  
J.-Y. Rotge ◽  
N. Jaafari ◽  
B. Aouizerate ◽  
N. Langbour ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Healthy Subjects ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Continuous Performance ◽  
Visuospatial Working Memory ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Temporal Direction

BackgroundObsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is associated with visuospatial working memory deficits. Intolerance of uncertainty is thought to be a core component of OCD symptoms. Recent findings argue for a possible relationship between abilities in visuospatial memory and uncertainty. However, this relationship remains unclear in both OCD patients and healthy subjects. To address this issue, we measured performance in visuospatial working memory and the propensity to express uncertainty during decision making. We assessed their relationship and the temporal direction of this relationship in both OCD patients and healthy subjects.MethodBaseline abilities in visuospatial working memory were measured with the Corsi block-tapping test. A delayed matching-to-sample task was used to identify explicit situations of certainty, uncertainty and ignorance and to assess continuous performance in visuospatial working memory. Behavioural variables were recorded over 360 consecutive trials in both groups.ResultsBaseline scores of visuospatial working memory did not predict the number of uncertain situations in OCD patients whereas they did in healthy subjects. Uncertain trials led to reduced abilities in visuospatial working memory to 65% of usual performance in OCD patients whereas they remained stable in healthy subjects.ConclusionsThe present findings show an opposite temporal direction in the relationship between abilities in working memory and uncertainty in OCD patients and healthy subjects. Poor working memory performance contributes to the propensity to feel uncertainty in healthy subjects whereas uncertainty contributes to decreased continuous performance in working memory in OCD patients.

Normal and obsessional jealousy: a study of a population of young adults

2003 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 106-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donatella Marazziti ◽  
Elena Di Nasso ◽  
Irene Masala ◽  
Stefano Baroni ◽  
Marianna Abelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
University Students ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Healthy Subjects ◽  
Lower Degree ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Intermediate Group ◽  
Definition Of

AbstractBackgroundJealousy is a heterogenous emotion ranging from normality to pathology. Several problems still exist in the distinction between normal and pathological jealousy.Aim of the studyWith the present study, we aimed to contribute to the definition of the boundary between obsessional and normal jealousy by means of a specific self-report questionnaire developed by us.MethodsThe questionnaire called “Questionnaire on the Affective Relationships” (QAR) and consisting of 30 items, was administered to 400 university students of both sexes and to 14 outpatients affected by obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) whose main obsession was jealousy. The total scores and single items were analysed and compared.ResultsTwo hundred and forty-five, approximately 61% of the questionnaires, were returned. The statistical analyses showed that patients with OCD had higher total scores than healthy subjects; in addition, it was possible to identify an intermediate group of subjects, corresponding to 10% of the total, who were concerned by jealousy thoughts around the partner, but at a lower degree than patients, and that we called “healthy jealous subjects” because they had no other psychopathological trait. Significant differences were also observed for single items in the three groups.ConclusionsOur study showed that 10% of a population of university students, albeit normal, have jealousy thoughts around the partner, as emerged by the specific questionnaire developed by us. This instrument permitted to clearly distinguish these subjects from patients with OCD and healthy subjects with no jealousy concern.

Hypogyrification in obsessive-compulsive disorder

2016 ◽  
Vol 47 (6) ◽  
pp. 1053-1061 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. G. Rus ◽  
T. J. Reess ◽  
G. Wagner ◽  
M. Zaudig ◽  
C. Zimmer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Symptom Severity ◽  
Healthy Subjects ◽  
Age Of Onset ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Cortical Folding ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Co Morbidity ◽  
Gyrification Index

BackgroundPrevious studies hypothesized that neurodevelopmental risk factors may play a role in the pathogenesis of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Cortical folding has been shown to be a reliable indicator for normal and altered neurodevelopment, but in OCD it has barely been investigated up to now. The present study investigates whether alterations in gyrification are detectable in OCD and, if so, how these are associated with clinical characteristics.MethodWe compared the local Gyrification Index (lGI) between 75 OCD patients and 75 matched healthy subjects across the whole brain. In addition, for those regions exhibiting an altered lGI in patients we explored a potential relationship to symptom severity, age of onset, and influence of medication.ResultsOCD patients had a significantly decreased lGI in right parietal, precentral but also insula, temporal, pars triangularis and rostral middle frontal regions compared to healthy subjects. A positive association with age of onset was found but no association with symptom severity. There was no effect of co-morbidity or medication.ConclusionsThe reduced gyrification found in OCD confirms previous findings in other psychiatric disorders and suggests that alterations may already occur during early stages of brain development. Our findings support the idea that altered cortical folding might represent a trait characteristic of the disorder although longitudinal studies are needed to clarify the trajectory of this morphological measure in OCD.

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