Impaired executive functions in paediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder patients

2011 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 272-281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasemen Isık Taner ◽  
Emel Erdogan Bakar ◽  
Ozgur Oner

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.

2006 ◽  
Vol 40 (11-12) ◽  
pp. 1031-1038 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shelley Bannon ◽  
Craig J. Gonsalvez ◽  
Rodney J. Croft ◽  
Philip M. Boyce

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.


2007 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Delorme ◽  
Véronique Goussé ◽  
Isabelle Roy ◽  
Anca Trandafir ◽  
Flavie Mathieu ◽  
...  

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.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-120
Author(s):  
Ayça Aktaç Gürbüz ◽  
Orçun YORULMAZ ◽  
Gülşah DURNA

Scientific research into the reduction of stigmatization, particularly related to specific problems such as Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), is scarce. In the present study, we examine the impact of a video-based antistigma intervention program for OCD in a pretest-posttest control group research. After being randomly assigned to either an intervention (n= 101) or control group (n= 96), the participants reported their attitudes on a hypothetical case vignette before and after OCD vs. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) videos, and again six months later as a follow up assessment. The mixed design analyses for the group comparisons indicated that although there was no significant difference in the measures of the control group, the participants watching the anti-stigma OCD video, in which the focus was psychoeducation and interaction strategies, reported significantly lower scores on social distances and negative beliefs for the case vignettes they read, and this difference was maintained six months later. Then, the present results indicate the effectiveness of our anti-stigma intervention program for OCD. Interventions to reduce stigmatization can also be viewed as effective tools for changing the attitudes of people toward OCD, although further research and applications are needed related to specific disorders if a longlasting impact is to be achieved.


2003 ◽  
Vol 14 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 29-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Verena Müller ◽  
Sönke Johannes ◽  
Berdieke Wieringa ◽  
Axel Weber ◽  
Kirsten Müller-Vahl ◽  
...  

Objective:Fronto-striatal dysfunction has been discussed as underlying symptoms of Tourette syndrome (TS) with co-morbid Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). This suggests possible impairments of executive functions in this disorder, which were therefore targeted in the present study.Results:A comprehensive series of neuropsychological tests examining attention, memory and executive functions was performed in a group of 14 TS/OCD in co-occurrence with OCD patients and a matched control group.Results:While attentional and memory mechanisms were not altered, TS/OCS patients showed deficits in executive functions predominately in the areas of response inhibition and action monitoring.Conclusions:These findings provide further evidence for a substantial impairment of the frontal-striatal-thalamic-frontal circuit. We propose that the deficits in monitoring, error detection and response inhibition constitute the major impairment of TS/OCD patients in the cognitive domain.


2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S415-S415
Author(s):  
A. Mowla

IntroductionUp to 50% of patients with OCD have failed to respond in SSRI trials, so looking for pharmacological alternatives in treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) seems necessary.ObjectivesSurveying duloxetine augmentation in treatment of resistant OCD.AimsStudy the effects of serotonin-norepinephrine enhancers for treatment of OCD.MethodsThis augmentation trial was designed as an 8-week randomized controlled, double blind study. Forty-six patients suffering from OCD who had failed to respond to at least 12 weeks of treatment with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (fluoxetine, citalopram or fluvoxamine) were randomly allocated to receive duloxetine or sertraline plus their current anti OCD treatment. Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) was the primary outcome measure.ResultsForty-six patients (24 of 30 in duloxetine group and 22 of 27 in sertraline group) completed the trial. Both groups showed improvement over the 8-week study period (mean Y-BOCS total score at week 8 as compared with baseline: P < 0.001 and P < 0.001) without significant difference (P = 0.861). Those receiving duloxetine plus their initial medications experienced a mean decrease of 33.0% in Y-BOCS score and the patients with sertraline added to their initial medication experienced a mean decrease of 34.5% in Y-BOCS.ConclusionsOur double blind controlled clinical trial showed duloxetine to be as effective as sertraline in reducing obsessive and compulsive symptoms in resistant OCD patients. However, it needs to be noted that our study is preliminary and larger double blind placebo controlled studies are necessary to confirm the results.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.


2013 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 214-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raşit Tükel ◽  
Hakan Gürvit ◽  
Nalan Öztürk ◽  
Berna Özata ◽  
Banu Aslantaş Ertekin ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Sarah Alaa Mohsen ◽  
Fatma Ahmed El Deeb ◽  
Ehab Sayed Ramadan ◽  
Mai Abd El-Raouf Eissa

Background: Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common and potentially debilitating disorder. Neuropsychological assessment provides unique complementary information that is critical for evaluating higher cortical abilities. This study aimed to assess the neuropsychological functions in OCD patients which can then point to the brain structures or pathways and to study the correlation between these assessments and different clinical variables. Methods: This cross-sectional case control study had included sixty patients who were divided into two groups, Group I: thirty OCD patients diagnosed by DSM-IV and Group II: thirty healthy controls who were recruited from the community, matched with patients’ age, gender, and education. Results: The age of onset in our study was 19.13 ± 0.35 years, the mean duration was 7.44 ± 3.88 years, 40% of the studied cases had severe OCD symptoms and 33.3% of them were compulsive cleaners. There was a high significant difference between the two groups regarding WCST in favor of the control group. There was a high significant difference between the two groups regarding ROCF where the control group showed better results than the OCD patients. Conclusions: Neuropsychological test performance remains an informative and objective means of investigation, especially when applied to psychiatric disorders. The executive functions in OCD patients were impaired in comparison to the normal study subjects.


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