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| Research article summary (published 30 Dec 2001): |
Decision-making heterogeneity in obsessive-compulsive disorder: ventromedial prefrontal cortex function predicts different treatment outcomes.
Full Abstract
Certain clinical aspects of patients with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) appear similar to those of patients with damage to the ventromedial sector of the prefrontal cortex. The hypothesis for the involvement of the frontal region in OCD is also supported by neuropsychological findings. Building on this evidence, we assessed the performance of a group of 34 OCD patients on a measure indexing with orbitofrontal cortex functioning and compared it with the performance of two other subject groups, one consisting of 34 healthy control subjects and the other 16 patients with panic disorder. All study subjects performed a neuropsychological task, which is sensitive to frontal lobe dysfunction and simulating real-life decision-making. Significant differences were found between the neuropsychological profiles of the OCD and of other groups, pointing to a possible specificity of decision-making deficit in OCD. Comparison of the performance of the OCD patients grouped according to response to antiobsessive drug treatment showed that poor neuropsychological task performance predicted poor outcome of pharmacological treatment. Task behavior did not correlate with severity of illness or demographic characteristics of the subjects. Results support the role of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex in OCD.
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Author information
Author/s: Cavedini, P (P); Riboldi, G (G); D'Annucci, A (A); Belotti, P (P); Cisima, M (M); Bellodi, L (L);
Affiliation: Department of Neuropsychiatric Sciences, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, 20, Via Stamira D'Ancona, 20127, Milan, Italy. cavedini.paolo(-atsign-)hsr.it
Journal and publication information
Publication Type: Comparative Study; Journal Article
Journal: Neuropsychologia (Neuropsychologia), published in England. (Language: eng)
Reference: 2002-; vol 40 (issue 2) : pp 205-11
Dates: Created 2001/10/19; Completed 2002/01/04; Revised 2006/11/15;
PMID: 11640942, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)
Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.
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