scholarly journals DNA Methyltransferase Inhibitor Successfully Treats Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in Various Mouse Models

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Catarina Cunha ◽  
German Todorov ◽  
David Ashurov ◽  
Catarina Cunha
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methyltransferase ◽  
Symptom Improvement ◽  
Projection Neurons ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Dna Methyltransferase Inhibitor ◽  
Mendelian Genetics ◽  
Complete Reversal ◽  
Plausible Mechanism ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorders

Mental health disorders are manifested in families yet cannot be fully explained by classical Mendelian genetics. Changes in gene expression via epigenetics present a plausible mechanism. Anxiety often leads to avoidant behaviours, which upon repetition may become habitual, maladaptive, and resistant to extinction as observed in obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD). Psychophysical models of OCD propose that anxiety (amygdala) and habits (dorsolateral striatum, DLS) may be causally linked. The amygdala activates spiny projection neurons in the DLS. Repetitive amygdala terminal stimulation in the DLS elicits long-term OCD-like behaviour in mice associated with circuitry changes and gene methylation-mediated decrease in protein phosphatase 1 (PP1). Treatment of OCD-like grooming behaviour in Slitrk5, SAPAP3, and laser-stimulated mice with one dose of RG108 (DNA methyltransferase inhibitor), leads to marked symptom improvement lasting for at least one week as well as a complete reversal of abnormal changes in the circuitry and PP1 activity.

scholarly journals Brain Stimulation Techniques in the Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Current and Future Directions

CNS Spectrums ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 966-979,983 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernardo Dell'Osso ◽  
Alfredo Carlo Altamura ◽  
Andrea Allen ◽  
Eric Hollander
Keyword(s):  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Brain Stimulation ◽  
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors ◽  
Symptom Improvement ◽  
Treatment Resistant ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Behavioral Treatments ◽  
Deep Brain

AbstractRecent studies on the epidemiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) estimate 50 million patients suffer from OCD worldwide, thus making it a global problem. The treatment of OCD has changed substantially over the last 2 decades following the introduction of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, which provide symptom improvement in ~60% of patients. However, some patients remain resistant to the standard pharmacologic and behavioral treatments. Although some treatment-resistant patients respond to pharmacologic augmentations, others do not, and there is evidence that some of the most severe cases benefit from treatment with neurosurgical interventions. Besides pharmacologic, behavioral, and neurosurgical approaches, different brain stimulation methods—transcranial magnetic stimulation, deep brain stimulation, and electroconvulsive therapy—have been investigated in treatment-resistant patients with OCD. However, available data about the use of these techniques in OCD treatment are quite limited in terms of sample size and study design, given the difficulty in conducting standard blinded trials for these procedures. In addition, none of the mentioned treatments have received Food and Drug Administration approval for the treatment of OCD. Nevertheless, promising findings regarding efficacy, tolerability, and non-invasiveness and/or reversibility of these techniques have increased interest in investigating their use in treatment-resistant OCD.

Cognitive Therapy with Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder

1995 ◽  
Vol 166 (4) ◽  
pp. 444-450 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian A. James ◽  
Ivy-Marie Blackburn
Keyword(s):  
Success Rate ◽  
Cognitive Therapy ◽  
Literature Search ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Drop Out ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorders ◽  
Compulsive Disorders ◽  
Ct Studies

BackgroundPeople with obsessive–compulsive disorders (OCD) are widely treated with a combination of medication and behavioural techniques. The success rate is 50–85%, but both relapse and drop-out rates appear high. The use of cognitive therapy (CT) for the treatment of OCD has been suggested. The empirical evidence supporting the use of CT for OCD is examined.MethodA manual and computer (Medline) literature search was performed.ResultsFifteen empirical studies were found: ten non-controlled, and five controlled.ConclusionsThere are few controlled CT studies, and these show little evidence of improvement when CT is added to existing therapeutic techniques.

EMDR Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Preliminary Research

2012 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Marr
Keyword(s):  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽  
The Other ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Symptom Improvement ◽  
Video Playback ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Theoretical View ◽  
Preliminary Research

This article reports the results of two experiments, each investigating a different eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) protocol for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and each with two young adult male participants with long-standing unremitting OCD. Two adaptations of Shapiro’s (2001) phobia protocol were developed, based on the theoretical view that OCD is a self-perpetuating disorder, with OCD compulsions and obsessions and current triggers reinforcing and maintaining the disorder. Both adaptations begin by addressing current obsessions and compulsions, instead of working on past memories; one strategy delays the cognitive installation phase; the other uses mental video playback in the desensitization of triggers. The four participants received 14–16 one-hour sessions, with no assigned homework. They were assessed with the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS), with scores at pretreatment in the extreme range (mean = 35.3). Symptom improvement was reported by participants after 2 or 3 sessions. Scores at posttreatment were in the subclinical/mild range for all participants (mean = 8.5). Follow-up assessments were conducted at 4–6 months, indicating maintenance of treatment effects (mean = 7.5). Symptom reduction was 70.4% at posttreatment and 76.1% at follow-up for the Adapted EMDR Phobia Protocol and 81.4% at posttreatment and at follow-up for the Adapted EMDR Phobia Protocol with Video Playback. Theoretical implications are discussed, and future research is recommended.

Serum Cholesterol in Patients with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder during Treatment with Behavior Therapy and SSRI or Placebo

2000 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helmut Peter ◽  
Susanne Tabrizian ◽  
Iver Hand
Keyword(s):  
Panic Disorder ◽  
Behavior Therapy ◽  
Serum Cholesterol ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Cholesterol Levels ◽  
Elevated Cholesterol ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorders ◽  
Compulsive Disorders

Objective: Patients with panic disorder are reported to have elevated cholesterol levels. There is also some evidence that cholesterol elevation is not so much a specific condition in panic disorder but is generally associated with anxiety. So far, there is little data on cholesterol levels in patients with obsessive compulsive disorders (OCD) which is also classified as anxiety disorder. Method: Thirty-three patients with OCD participated in the study. Serum cholesterol was measured as pretreatment and at the end of a ten-week treatment-period. All patients received behavior therapy and, in a double-blind fashion, fluvoxamine or placebo. Severity of OCD was assessed by the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS). Results: Pretreatment cholesterol values of OCD patients were compared with cholesterol levels of thirty panic disorder patients and thirty normal controls. OCD patients had elevated cholesterol levels comparable with those of panic disorder patients. Cholesterol levels decreased significantly from pre- to posttreatment. OCD patients with high cholesterol levels (≥ 240 mg/dl, n = 7) could make best use of the treatment whereas patients with desirable cholesterol levels (< 200 mg/dl, n = 11) did not change their cholesterol during treatment. Conclusions: Our data support the assumption that not only panic disorder but also other anxiety disorders, e.g., obsessive compulsive disorders, may be associated with serum cholesterol elevations. Effective treatment (behavior therapy and/or treatment with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor [SSRI]) seems to decrease cholesterol levels, especially in patients with pathological cholesterol elevations.

Diagnostic relevance of sleep complaints in anxiety and mood disorders

1995 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 386-390 ◽  
Author(s):  
F Arriaga ◽  
E Lara ◽  
A Matos-Pires ◽  
F Cavaglia ◽  
L Bastos
Keyword(s):  
Major Depression ◽  
Panic Disorder ◽  
Generalised Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Sleep Complaints ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Clinical Assessments ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorders ◽  
Compulsive Disorders ◽  
Normal Controls

SummaryClinical assessments of sleep and subjective state upon waking were performed in normal controls and patients with generalised anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, primary dysthymia and major depression. Subjects were selected according to DSM-III-R criteria. As compared to normal controls, patients with generalised anxiety, dysthymia and major depression exhibit pervasive and intense complaints of insomnia, and no clear distinctions can be drawn among these groups. Patients with panic disorder do not differ from normal controls, whereas obsessive compulsive patients present limited sleep symptoms. These findings suggest that subjective sleep variables are relevant for the diagnostic discrimination of panic and obsessive-compulsive disorders.

scholarly journals A “GENERAL THEORY OF MENTAL SUFFERING”, AND THE ROLE OF AN INNOVATIVE NARRATIVE THERAPEUTIC APPROACH

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 282-307
Author(s):  
Derek Botha
Keyword(s):  
Mental Disorders ◽  
General Theory ◽  
Narrative Therapy ◽  
Brain Plasticity ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Diagnostic And Statistical Manual ◽  
Psychedelic Drug ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorders ◽  
Compulsive Disorders

This article proposes alternative understandings of certain structuralist informed (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - DSM-IIIrd to 5th Eds.) configurations of mental disorders. Life’s negative discourses and the mind’s captive responses present a “general theory of mental suffering” which phenomena are classified as modernist, DSM mental disorders, such as addictions, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorders. Recent research has indicated that the psychedelic drug, psilocybin, has produced safe and effective outcomes for these mental suffering states. In this context, the article draws on the concept of brain plasticity order, firstly, to identify the means for a person to move away from subjection of life’s negative, dominant discourses that “capture” the brain, and then to intentionally move towards more acceptable, preferred, ethical subjectivities. These explanations, using the phenomenon of depression, provide the foundation for further proposals that an innovative form of narrative therapy could be a safe, effective and meaningful approach for persons in relationship with other similar ways of mental suffering, such as, anxiety, addiction, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and anorexia nervosa.

scholarly journals Basic mechanisms of, and treatment planning/targets for, obsessive–compulsive disorder

2020 ◽  
pp. 976-986
Author(s):  
Eric Burguière ◽  
Luc Mallet
Keyword(s):  
Neural Networks ◽  
Behavioural Therapy ◽  
Therapeutic Approaches ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
The Neural Networks ◽  
Novel Approaches ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorders ◽  
Compulsive Disorders

Despite the range of conventional treatments available for obsessive–compulsive disorders, generally based on pharmacological and behavioural therapy, a significant number of patients receive no benefit from them. Clearly, further work is required to develop alternative therapeutic approaches to improve the treatment of the dysfunctional cognitive processes in obsessive–compulsive disorders and to better understand the neural networks involved. Some innovative tools have recently been developed in the fields of anatomical and functional imaging, neuromodulation, and animal models. These novel approaches offer opportunities to improve our understanding of the functional and pathophysiological basis of obsessive–compulsive disorders.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of a Constructive Model of Variables related to Depersonalization- Derealization Disorder of University Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 55-98
Author(s):  
Ali Mahmud Shoeib ◽  
◽  
Ereny Samir Gobrial ◽  
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Constructive Model ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorders ◽  
Anxiety Depression ◽  
Compulsive Disorders ◽  
Positive Effect

The aims of this study were to identify the correlation between Depersonalization - Derealization Disorder (DPDR), anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorders and to propose a constructive model of anxiety, depression and obsessive- compulsive disorders related to Depersonalization Derealization Disorder of university students. The sample consisted of 344 students (325 female and 19 male), with a mean age of (24.4) years. The study applied the following scales: structured clinical interview for depersonalization-derealization spectrum, Cambridge Depersonalization Scale, Generalised anxiety scale (GAD-7), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and Maudsley Obsessional–Compulsive Inventory. Results indicated that obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression played a major role in developing DPDR due to a significant positive effect of these disorders, while anxiety had a weak correlation. The study developed a constructive model of variables related to DPDR based on AMOS software. The results illustrated that the contribution of obsessive-compulsive and depression as independent variables in predicting PDRD was 61.8 and 44.9, respectively, while no effect of anxiety was recorded. The findings also developed a model for the causal relationships between anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive influence on DPDR disorder. The results of the causal model test indicated that the obsessive-compulsive variable is hypothesized to be a mediator in influencing the DPDR disorder as it is affected by both anxiety and depression.

Psychosocial Function and Economic Costs of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

CNS Spectrums ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 3 (S1) ◽  
pp. 48-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Hollander ◽  
Dan J. Stein ◽  
Jee H. Kwon ◽  
Clayton Rowland ◽  
Cheryl M. Wong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Family Relationships ◽  
Clinical Samples ◽  
Symptom Improvement ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Psychosocial Function ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Study Results

AbstractThe study presented was conducted to analyze the effects of obsessive-compulsive symptoms on patients' quality of life and the costs incurred by patients and society for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). To accomplish this, a detailed 410-item questionnaire of psychosocial function and economic cost was sent to every fourth member of the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation. Of the 2,670 members who received the survey, 701 (26.9%) returned it.Outcome measures included symptomatology, course of illness, impact of illness on psychosocial and other functioning, effects of diagnosis and treatment, and economic consequences. The demographics of this group were similar to those in smaller treatment-seeking clinical samples, but not necessarily to OCD sufferers within the US population as a whole. More than half of the patients reported moderate to severe interference in family relationships, socializing, and ability to study or work, secondary to OCD symptoms. A 10.2-year gap was observed between the onset of symptoms and the first attempt to seek professional help, and a 17.2-year gap was observed between the onset of symptoms and receipt of effective treatment. Specific treatments, such as serotonin reuptake inhibitors and behavior therapy, showed greater symptom improvement, and significantly reduced the total annual fees incurred by OCD patients when compared with nonspecific treatments.Our study results indicate that OCD has a profound effect on psychosocial functioning and quality of life. Large direct costs for OCD and even larger indirect costs due to lost wages and underemployment were found. Greater awareness of OCD among practitioners may result in earlier diagnosis and more appropriate and cost-effective treatments.

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