scholarly journals Examining Differences in Fear Learning in Patients With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder With Pupillometry, Startle Electromyography and Skin Conductance Responses

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorothee Pöhlchen ◽  
Marthe Priouret ◽  
Miriam S. Kraft ◽  
Florian P. Binder ◽  
Deniz A. Gürsel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fear Conditioning ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Skin Conductance ◽  
Fear Extinction ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Extinction Learning ◽  
Learning Deficits ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Inhibitory Learning

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by recurrent, persistent thoughts and repetitive behaviors causing stress and anxiety. In the associative learning model of OCD, mechanisms of fear extinction are supposed to partly underlie symptom development, maintenance and treatment of OCD, proposing that OCD patients suffer from rigid memory associations and inhibitory learning deficits. To test these assumptions, previous studies have used skin conductance and subjective ratings as readouts in fear conditioning paradigms, finding impaired fear extinction learning, impaired fear extinction recall or no differences between individuals with OCD and healthy controls. Against this heterogeneous background, we tested fear acquisition and extinction in 37 OCD patients and 56 healthy controls, employing skin conductance as well as pupillometry and startle electromyography. Extinction recall was also included in a subsample. We did not observe differences between groups in any of the task phases, except a trend toward higher startle amplitudes during extinction for OCD. Overall, sensitive readouts such as pupillometry and startle responses did not provide evidence for moderate-to-large inhibitory learning deficits using classical fear conditioning, challenging the assumption of generically impaired extinction learning and memory in OCD.

Brain regions related to fear extinction in obsessive-compulsive disorder and its relation to exposure therapy outcome: a morphometric study

2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 845-856 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Fullana ◽  
N. Cardoner ◽  
P. Alonso ◽  
M. Subirà ◽  
C. López-Solà ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Cortical Thickness ◽  
Exposure Therapy ◽  
Fear Extinction ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Therapy Outcome ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
The Relationship

BackgroundThe size of particular sub-regions within the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) has been associated with fear extinction in humans. Exposure therapy is a form of extinction learning widely used in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Here we investigated the relationship between morphometric measurements of different sub-regions of the vmPFC and exposure therapy outcome in OCD.MethodA total of 74 OCD patients and 86 healthy controls underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Cortical thickness and volumetric measurements were obtained for the rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC), the medial orbital frontal cortex and the subcallosal cortex. After MRI acquisition, patients were enrolled in an exposure therapy protocol, and we assessed the relationship between MRI-derived measurements and treatment outcome. Baseline between-group differences for such measurements were also assessed.ResultsCompared with healthy controls, OCD patients showed a thinner left rACC (p = 0.008). Also, left rACC thickness was inversely associated with exposure therapy outcome (r – 0.32, p = 0.008), and this region was significantly thinner in OCD patients who responded to exposure therapy than in those who did not (p = 0.006). Analyses based on regional volumetry did not yield any significant results.ConclusionsOCD patients showed cortical thickness reductions in the left rACC, and these alterations were related to exposure therapy outcome. The precise characterization of neuroimaging predictors of treatment response derived from the study of the brain areas involved in fear extinction may optimize exposure therapy planning in OCD and other anxiety disorders.

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

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (11) ◽  
pp. 1957-1970 ◽  
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.

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

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S2) ◽  
pp. 977-977 ◽  
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.

scholarly journals Executive functioning in Body Dysmorphic Disorder and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

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.

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

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.

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

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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