Citation

Yamamuro K, Ota T, Iida J, Kishimoto N, Nakanishi Y, Kishimoto T. Psychiatry Clin. Neurosci. 2016; 71(1): 36-43.

Affiliation

Department of Psychiatry, Nara Medical University School of Medicine, Kashihara, Japan.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/pcn.12465

PMID

27701796

Abstract

AIMS: Increasing clinical evidence points to impulsivity as a symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, little is known about its persistence over time.

METHODS: In this study, we evaluated the performance of 12 pediatric patients with OCD on the Stroop color-word task, which assesses impulsivity and compared this with age- and sex-matched controls. In parallel, we measured changes in hemodynamic responses during the task, using near-infrared spectroscopy. As patients in the OCD group were naïve to treatment, we compared results before and after three year medication with serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI).

RESULTS: We report that, compared with controls, the OCD group had significantly poorer performance and less activation in the prefrontal cortex during the Stroop color-word task. Surprisingly, while SSRI treatment reduced OCD symptomology, it did not rescue the diminished hemodynamic responses or task performance of these patients.

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest a persistent deficit exists in the inhibitory control of pediatric patients with OCD, and provide insight into the pathophysiology of OCD.

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Language: en