Shared executive dysfunctions in unaffected relatives of patients with autism and obsessive-compulsive disorder

AbstractBackgroundExecutive dysfunctions have been studied as a potential endophenotype associated with the genetic basis of autism. Given that recent findings from clinical and molecular genetic studies suggest that autism and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) could share a common pattern of heritability, we assessed executive functions as a possible common cognitive endophenotype in unaffected family members of individuals with either autism or OCD.MethodsFive tests assessing executive functions (Tower of London, verbal fluency, design fluency, trail making and association fluency) were proposed to 58 unaffected first-degree relatives (parents and siblings) of probands with autism and 64 unaffected first-degree relatives of OCD patients. Results were compared with those of 47 healthy controls matched for age, sex, and level of education.ResultsIn the Tower of London test, both groups of unaffected relatives showed significantly lower scores and longer response times compared with controls. No differences were observed between autism and OCD relatives and healthy controls in the four other tasks (verbal fluency, design fluency, trail making test and association fluency).ConclusionsOur findings show the existence of executive dysfunction in the unaffected first-degree relatives of probands with OCD, similar to those observed in the relatives of patients with autism. These results support and extend previous cognitive studies on probands indicating executive dysfunctions in autism and OCD. Planning and working memory processes could thus represent a common cognitive endophenotype in autism and OCD that could help in the identification of genes conferring vulnerability to these disorders.

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Relation between executive functions and polymorphisms in COMT, MAO-A, HTTLPR, SLC1A1 and HT2A in a sample of children with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

10.1101/452193 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Jorge Enrique Avila Campos ◽

María Cristina Pinto Dussan ◽

Ángela María Polanco Barreto ◽

Esneyder Manuel Guerrero ◽

Rafael Antonio Vásquez Rojas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Executive Functions ◽

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽

Wisconsin Card Sorting Test ◽

Card Sorting ◽

Obsessive Compulsive ◽

Compulsive Disorder ◽

Gender And Age ◽

Mao A ◽

Trail Making ◽

Sorting Test

AbstractBackgroundObsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) has a complex etiology related to multiple neuropsychological factors. OCD is associated with several candidate genes but results are discordant. The objective was to explore the association between five polymorphisms related to neurotransmitters, the risk of an OCD diagnosis and the performance in four executive functions tests done with Colombian patients diagnosed with this condition.Methods63 patients and 65 controls matched by gender and age were genetically analyzed. For the study of the relation between cognitive function and phenotypes, a subsample of 33 patients and 31 controls was used. The Stroop test, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), Tower of London and Trail Making Test (TMT) for executive function assessment were applied and the SNPs analyzed were: COMT (rs4680), MAO-A (rs6323), HTTLPR (rs25531), HT2A (rs6315) and SLC1A1 (rs301434).ResultsDifferences in the conceptualization of the WCST test (p = 0.023) and Stroop interference score (p = 0.041) between cases and controls were obtained. After analyzing the relationship between genotypes and sub-scores of the tests, associations between the presence of MAO-A, SLAC1A1, HTTLPR and HT2A alleles and tests sub-scores were found.DiscussionThis characterization of children with OCD is a new field of work in Colombia and one of the first works performed in Latin America. The sample size and the number of polymorphisms analyzed in this population should be increased.

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The effects of acute serotonin challenge on executive planning in patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), their first-degree relatives, and healthy controls

Psychopharmacology ◽

10.1007/s00213-020-05597-7 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 237 (10) ◽

pp. 3117-3123

Author(s):

Christine Lochner ◽

Samuel R. Chamberlain ◽

Martin Kidd ◽

Lian Taljaard ◽

Naomi A. Fineberg ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Obsessive Compulsive ◽

Compulsive Disorder ◽

First Degree Relatives

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Study of neurocognitive endophenotypes in drug-naïve obsessive-compulsive disorder patients, their first-degree relatives and healthy controls

Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica ◽

10.1111/j.1600-0447.2011.01733.x ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 124 (2) ◽

pp. 152-161 ◽

Cited By ~ 45

Author(s):

G. Rajender ◽

M. S. Bhatia ◽

K. Kanwal ◽

S. Malhotra ◽

T. B. Singh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Obsessive Compulsive ◽

Compulsive Disorder ◽

First Degree Relatives ◽

Drug Naïve

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Impaired executive functions in paediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder patients

Acta Neuropsychiatrica ◽

10.1111/j.1601-5215.2011.00562.x ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 23 (6) ◽

pp. 272-281 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Yasemen Isık Taner ◽

Emel Erdogan Bakar ◽

Ozgur Oner

Keyword(s):

Executive Functions ◽

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽

Test Scores ◽

Verbal Fluency ◽

Obsessive Compulsive ◽

Verbal Fluency Test ◽

Compulsive Disorder ◽

Paediatric Patients ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Fluency Test

Isık Taner Y, Erdogan Bakar E, Oner O. Impaired executive functions in paediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder patients.Objective: There are only few studies which investigated the neuropsychological performances of paediatric patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Previous studies show that most of adult OCD patients had an onset of their first symptoms before the age of 15. Our objective was to evaluate the neuropsychological functions in paediatric patients with OCD.Methods: We compared the executive functions and general intelligence of child and adolescent OCD patients (n = 20) with age- and gender-matched healthy controls (n = 20). To compare mentioned skills, a neuropsychological test battery including Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R), Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), Stroop Test and Verbal Fluency Test was performed.Result: Performances of the OCD and control subjects on neuropsychological tests were statistically analysed by using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA), in which Full Scale Intelligence Quotient (FSIQ) results were taken into consideration as a covariate to observe FSIQ's effect on test scores. Our results showed that the differences in WISC-R Picture Arrangement and Coding scores remained significant when co-analysed with FSIQ scores. In a similar manner, the OCD group exhibited worse performances on STR1-duration, STR3-duration, STR3-error, STR4-duration, STR4-error, STR5-correct response, and STR5-error as compared with the control group when FSIQ scores were taken into calculation. Some variables of the WCST (perseverative responses, percent errors, abstraction-flexibility and categories completed) also yield lower test scores in the OCD group. There was no significant difference between the groups regarding Verbal Fluency Test scores.Conclusion: Our results suggested that paediatric OCD patients had worse abstraction-flexibility, mental set-shifting, verbal comprehension and visuospatial/construction abilities.

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Executive Functions in Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder: State or Trait Deficits?

Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1080/j.1440-1614.2006.01928.x ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 40 (11-12) ◽

pp. 1031-1038 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Shelley Bannon ◽

Craig J. Gonsalvez ◽

Rodney J. Croft ◽

Philip M. Boyce

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Executive Function ◽

Panic Disorder ◽

Executive Functions ◽

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽

Verbal Fluency ◽

Set Shifting ◽

Design Study ◽

Obsessive Compulsive ◽

Compulsive Disorder

Objective: Despite the neuropsychology literature providing reliable evidence of impaired executive functions in obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), to date it has not been determined whether these deficits are trait-related (independent of symptomatology) or state-dependent (dependent on symptomatology). The current research examines the executive functions in OCD in a comprehensive manner and, for the first time, assesses the stability of these deficits over the developmental course of the disorder. Method: Using a cross-sectional design, Study 1 examined the executive functions (set shifting, inhibition, planning, verbal fluency and working memory) in 60 subjects (20 actively Symptomatic OCD, 20 Remitted OCD and 20 Panic Disorder). Using a longitudinal design, Study 2 reassessed a subsample of OCD subjects (participants in Study 1) once they reached remitted status. Results: Study 1 found that the OCD groups exhibited deficits in set shifting and inhibition relative to Panic Disorder controls; however, no deficits were observed in planning, verbal fluency or working memory. There were no differences found between the Symptomatic and Remitted OCD groups on any of the executive function measures. Study 2 found that the identified executive function deficits in individuals were stable over time and remained unchanged despite symptom remittance. Conclusion: Current results confirm the presence of specific executive function deficits in OCD, and indicate that these deficits are trait-like in nature.

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Spatial working memory performance in people with obsessive–compulsive disorder, their unaffected first-degree relatives and healthy controls

BJPsych Open ◽

10.1192/bjo.2021.1052 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (6) ◽

Author(s):

Stephan Heinzel ◽

Katharina Bey ◽

Rosa Grützmann ◽

Julia Klawohn ◽

Christian Kaufmann ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽

Spatial Working Memory ◽

Memory Performance ◽

Age Effects ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Obsessive Compulsive ◽

Compulsive Disorder ◽

First Degree Relatives ◽

Healthy Control

Summary Studies have shown that people with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) have impairments in spatial working memory (SWM) performance. However, it remains unclear whether this deficit represents a cognitive endophenotype preceding symptoms or a correlate of OCD. We investigated SWM in 69 people with OCD, 77 unaffected first-degree relatives of people with OCD and 106 healthy control participants. Taking age effects into account, SWM performance was best in healthy controls, intermediate in relatives and worst in OCD participants. However, since performance did not differ significantly between healthy controls and relatives, our study does not fully support SWM performance as a core cognitive endophenotype of OCD.

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