Gender-related romantic attachment and serum oxytocin level difference in adult patients with obsessive compulsive disorder

Abstract Background Given the scarcity of data on gender-related romantic attachment changes and the potential role of oxytocin (OT) in the pathophysiology of obsessive-compulsive illness (OCD), the current study aimed to assess gender-related differences in romantic attachment characteristics and their relationship to serum oxytocin in a set of forty OCD cases compared with a similar group of healthy controls .Simultaneously examining the gender differences in serum oxytocin levels in OCD patients, the diagnosis of OCD patients was determined using DSM-5 criteria, and the severity of OCD was determined using the Y-BOCS rating scale. All of the patients were drug-free and not depressed. The romantic attachment was assessed using the “Experiences in Close Relationship” Questionnaire. Standard ELISA kits were used to assess plasma OT levels. Results Regarding romantic attachments, patients with obsessive compulsive disorder scored higher on the anxiety and avoidance domains than controls with no significant gender difference. Serum oxytocin was higher in patients with OCD than in healthy controls, indicating a possible underlying pathophysiology of the illness. Also, there was a significant gender difference, with female patients having higher serum oxytocin and symptoms severity being negatively associated. Conclusions Taken together, these findings propose that OT may play a role in OCD pathophysiology with gender specificity. Also, OCD associated with insecure romantic attachment.

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Bradykinesia In Patients With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.eurpsy.2009.11.008 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 25 (7) ◽

pp. 378-381 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

M. Pasquini ◽

G. Fabbrini ◽

G. Moretti ◽

I. Berardelli ◽

G. Mandarelli ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽

Rating Scale ◽

Motor Symptom ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Obsessive Compulsive ◽

Compulsive Disorder ◽

Picture Completion ◽

Disease Rating ◽

Iq Scores ◽

Mental Slowness

AbstractObjectiveTo investigate the frequency of bradykinesia in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and to see whether patients with OCD who also have bradykinesia display distinctive neuropsychological and neuropsychiatric features.MethodsWe studied 23 antipsychotic-free patients with OCD and 13 healthy controls. Bradykinesia was assessed with section III of the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale. The Wechsler Adult Intelligent Scales-Revised (WAIS-R) was used to assess the Full Scale IQ and to measure visuospatial, visuoconstructional ability and psychomotor speed/mental slowness.ResultsOf the 23 patients with OCD studied, 8 (34%) had mild symptoms of bradykinesia. No relationship was found between bradykinesia and the sociodemographic variables assessed but this motor symptom was significantly associated with the severity of compulsions. Patients with bradykinesia differed from those without: they had a higher frequency of repeating compulsions, and lower IQ scores, performance scores, and WAIS-R subtest scores for similarities and picture completion. No significant differences were found between patients without bradykinesia and healthy controls in any test.ConclusionsClinical assessment of motor symptoms in adult patients with OCD often discloses mild bradykinesia sometimes associated with repeating compulsions and poor WAIS-R performance scores.

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The inner world of overactive monitoring: neural markers of interoception in obsessive–compulsive disorder

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291717000368 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 47 (11) ◽

pp. 1957-1970 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

A. Yoris ◽

A. M. García ◽

L. Traiber ◽

H. Santamaría-García ◽

M. Martorell ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Panic Disorder ◽

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽

Evoked Potential ◽

Cognitive Profile ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Obsessive Compulsive ◽

Compulsive Disorder ◽

Inner World ◽

External Stimuli ◽

Internal Body

BackgroundObsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) patients typically overmonitor their own behavior, as shown by symptoms of excessive doubt and checking. Although this is well established for the patients’ relationship with external stimuli in the environment, no study has explored their monitoring of internal body signals, a process known to be affected in anxiety-related syndromes. Here, we explored this issue through a cardiac interoception task that measures sensing of heartbeats. Our aim was to explore key behavioral and electrophysiological aspects of internal-cue monitoring in OCD, while examining their potential distinctiveness in this condition.MethodWe administered a heartbeat detection (HBD) task (with related interoceptive confidence and awareness measures) to three matched groups (OCD patients, panic disorder patients, healthy controls) and recorded ongoing modulations of two task-relevant electrophysiological markers: the heart evoked potential (HEP) and the motor potential (MP).ResultsBehaviorally, OCD patients outperformed controls and panic patients in the HBD task. Moreover, they exhibited greater amplitude modulation of both the HEP and the MP during cardiac interoception. However, they evinced poorer confidence and awareness of their interoceptive skills.ConclusionsConvergent behavioral and electrophysiological data showed that overactive monitoring in OCD extends to the sensing of internal bodily signals. Moreover, this pattern discriminated OCD from panic patients, suggesting a condition-distinctive alteration. Our results highlight the potential of exploring interoceptive processes in the OCD spectrum to better characterize the population's cognitive profile. Finally, these findings may lay new bridges between somatic theories of emotion and cognitive models of OCD.

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EEG-source estimates and vigilance regulation in obsessive compulsive disorder in comparison to healthy controls

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/s0924-9338(11)72682-7 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 26 (S2) ◽

pp. 977-977 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

H. Olbrich ◽

S. Olbrich ◽

I. Jahn ◽

U. Hegerl ◽

K. Stengler

Keyword(s):

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽

Sleep Disturbances ◽

Imaging Techniques ◽

Sleep Onset ◽

Biological Marker ◽

Multiple Comparison ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Obsessive Compulsive ◽

Compulsive Disorder ◽

Eeg Power

Neurophysiological hyperactivation of cortical and subcortical brain areas has been reported in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) using functional imaging techniques and electroencephalography (EEG). Also sleep disturbances and delayed sleep phases have been associated with OCD symptomatology. However, vigilance regulation in OCD during the transition phase from wakefulness to sleep onset remains unclear. Therefore the aim of this study was to analyze EEG-source estimates and EEG vigilance regulation in OCD patients in comparison to healthy controls.A 15 minute resting EEG was recorded in 30 unmedicated OCD patients and 30 healthy, age and gender matched controls. EEG power source estimates of the whole time series were computed by exact Low Resolution Brain Electromagnetic Tomography (eLORETA). Each consecutive one second EEG-segment was classified into one out of seven EEG-vigilance stages (0, A1, A2, A3, B1, B2/3, C) using Vigilance Algorithm Leipzig (VIGALL). The eLORETA analysis (log of F-ratios, p < 0.05, corrected for multiple comparison) revealed significantly increased delta power in the right superior frontal gyrus for OCD patients in comparison to healthy controls. Vigilance analysis yielded significantly increased amounts of high vigilance stage A2 (Mann-Whitney test, p < 0.001, corrected for multiple comparison) for OCD patients.This study repeated findings of altered EEG-power in frontal areas in OCD patients. Alterations of EEG-vigilance regulation were found with increased amounts of high vigilance stage A2. This is in line with a hypothesis of cortical hyperactivation in OCD. The value of EEG-vigilance as a possible biological marker for e.g. treatment response should be focus of further studies.

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Cerebrospinal Fluid Biogenic Amines in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Tourette's Syndrome, and Healthy Controls

Neuropsychopharmacology ◽

10.1016/0893-133x(94)00070-g ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 73-86 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

J Leckman

Keyword(s):

Cerebrospinal Fluid ◽

Biogenic Amines ◽

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽

Tourette's Syndrome ◽

Tourette’S Syndrome ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Obsessive Compulsive ◽

Compulsive Disorder

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Executive functioning in Body Dysmorphic Disorder and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

10.1101/2021.04.29.21256321 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Long Long Chen ◽

Oskar Flygare ◽

John Wallert ◽

Jesper Enander ◽

Volen Ivanov ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽

Test Performance ◽

Symptom Severity ◽

Body Dysmorphic Disorder ◽

Spatial Working Memory ◽

Clinical Severity ◽

Stop Signal Task ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Obsessive Compulsive ◽

Compulsive Disorder

Objective: To assess executive functions in patients with Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) compared with healthy controls. Methods: Adults diagnosed with BDD (n=26) or OCD (n=29) according to DSM-5, and healthy controls (n=28) underwent validated and computerized neuropsychological tests; spatial working memory (SWM), Intra- extra dimensional set shifting (IED) and Stop signal task (SST), from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB). Test performance was compared between groups, and correlated to standardized symptom severity of BDD and OCD. Significance level was set to p<0.05. Results: There were no statistically significant between-group differences on key outcome measures in SWM, IED, or SST. There was a weak positive correlation between symptom severity and test errors on SWM and IED in both OCD and BDD groups; increased clinical severity were associated with more errors in these tests. Further, there was a negative correlation between symptom severity and SST in the BDD group. Conclusions: Patients with BDD or OCD did not differ from healthy control subjects in terms of test performance, however there were several statistically significant correlations between symptom severity and performance in those with BDD or OCD. More studies on EF in BDD and OCD are required to elucidate if there are differences in EF between these two disorders.

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Correlational research on facial and clinical characteristics of adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder

10.21203/rs.3.rs-362348/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yanrong Wang ◽

Shaohua Chang ◽

Xiaomin Ma ◽

Jiying Li ◽

Ruixia Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽

Clinical Characteristics ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Obsessive Compulsive ◽

Lower Lip ◽

Compulsive Disorder ◽

Correlational Research ◽

Nasolabial Angle ◽

The Difference ◽

The Relationship

Abstract We examined the relationship between facial morphological features and clinical characteristics of adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The enrolled study sample comprised 40 adolescents diagnosed with OCD using the Obsessive Compulsive Inventory Child Version (OCI-CV) and 38 healthy controls (HCs). Facial photos, 21 facial diameters, and nine facial angles were collected using image software. In males, lower lip red height was significantly lower in OCD patients than in HCs (P < 0.05); no significant differences were observed in other facial indicators (all P > 0.05). In females, the nasolabial angle was smaller in OCD patients than in HCs (P < 0.05); no significant differences were observed in other facial indicators (all P > 0.05). The difference in lower lip red height between the OCD group and HC group was positively correlated with mental neutralization symptoms (r = 0.401, P < 0.05). Our findings highlight the relationship between facial and clinical characteristics in OCD patients.

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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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Abnormal P600 in obsessive–compulsive disorder. A comparison with healthy controls

Psychiatry Research ◽

10.1016/s0165-1781(03)00109-4 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 119 (1-2) ◽

pp. 133-143 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Charalabos C. Papageorgiou ◽

Andreas D. Rabavilas

Keyword(s):

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Obsessive Compulsive ◽

Compulsive Disorder

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Anger and aggressiveness in obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) and the mediating role of responsibility, non-acceptance of emotions, and social desirability

European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience ◽

10.1007/s00406-020-01199-8 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Barbara Cludius ◽

Anna K. Mannsfeld ◽

Alexander F. Schmidt ◽

Lena Jelinek

Keyword(s):

Emotion Regulation ◽

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽

Social Desirability ◽

Self Concept ◽

Trait Anger ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Obsessive Compulsive ◽

Anger Suppression ◽

Compulsive Disorder ◽

The Relationship

Abstract According to psychodynamic and cognitive models of obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), anger and aggression play an important role in the development and maintenance of the disorder. (Sub-) clinical samples with OCD have reported higher anger and anger suppression. Patients with checking-related symptoms of OCD showed a less aggressive self-concept as assessed by an Implicit Association Test (IAT). This study assessed anger and aggressiveness self-concepts in OCD as well as possible mediators of the link between OCD and aggressiveness. A total of 48 patients with OCD and 45 healthy controls were included. Measures included the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-II and an aggressiveness self-concept IAT (Agg-IAT). An inflated sense of responsibility, non-acceptance of emotions, and social desirability were tested as mediators. As expected, patients with OCD reported higher trait anger and anger suppression compared to healthy controls. Contrary to hypotheses, the aggressiveness self-concept (Agg-IAT) did not differ between groups. The inflated sense of responsibility mediated the relationship between group and anger suppression. Non-acceptance of negative emotions mediated the relationship between group and trait anger, as well as anger suppression. However, comorbidities and medication may account for some effect in anger suppression. Elevated trait anger and anger suppression in OCD patients could be explained by dysfunctional beliefs or maladaptive emotion regulation strategies. Emotion regulation therapy might help to enhance awareness and acceptance of emotions and possibly improve treatment outcomes.

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