Thursday, May 27, 2004

Brain Abnormalities and OCD Recent data from neuroimaging, neuropsychological and electrophysiological studies looked at the pathophysiology of OCD in the journal Current Opinion in Psychiatry described at Medscape. Researchers have found that consistent deficits in the frontal-subcortical circuit have been consistently implicated in the pathophysiology of OCD. Research found a volume reduction of the left anterior orbitofrontal cortex in OCD patients compared with normal controls, suggesting the region may be related to impaired organizational strategies in OCD. One study found a volume reduction of the left anterior orbitofrontal cortex in OCD patients compared with normal controls,  suggesting the region may be related to impaired organizational strategies in OCD. Another study administered functional magnetic resonance imaging, while OCD patients and healthy controls performed spatial working memory tasks with multiple levels of difficulty. The OCD patients performed poorly on the spatial memory tasks at the highest level of difficulty, and showed elevated activity in the anterior cingulate cortex compared with the controls. Additional research  compared drug-free OCD patients and healthy controls using single photon emission computed tomography. Significantly increased resting regional cerebral blood flow was found in the superior/inferior portions of the frontal lobe and right/left thalamus in OCD patients compared with the controls. The article discussed the overlap in circuitry in OCD and schizophrenia and offers some interesting insights and fuel for discussion. Medscape - Current Opinion in Psychiatry (registration free but required) 10:30:38 PM    comment []

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