Control and Reward Circuits in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

New York State Psychiatric Institute

Status

Completed

Conditions

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Treatments

Behavioral: Exposure & Response Prevention (EX/RP)

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT02221518

#7000/R01MH104648-01

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to examine the brain functioning of OCD patients and healthy controls before and after treatment with Exposure and Response Prevention (EXRP) therapy.

Full description

The capacity to coordinate thoughts and actions to execute goal-directed behaviors (cognitive control) and the capacity to anticipate, respond to, and learn from reward (reward processing) are key processes for human behavior. Dysfunction in these processes has been hypothesized to contribute to repetitive thoughts and behaviors in many disorders, including obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), Tourette Syndrome (TS), and eating disorders. We will use multimodal imaging to investigate neural circuits that support cognitive control and reward processing, using OCD as a model system. The short-term goal is to clarify how circuit-based abnormalities contribute to repetitive thoughts/behaviors; these data will inform future transdiagnostic studies. The long-term goal is to identify control and reward circuit-abnormalities as targets for new transdiagnostic treatments.

Enrollment

80 estimated patients

Sex

All

Ages

18 to 55 years old

Volunteers

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion Criteria for Patients:

Male and females with OCD aged 18-55
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) Diagnosis of OCD
Not on psychotropic medication

Exclusion Criteria for Patients:

Presence of metallic devices or dental braces in the body that are contraindicators for MR imaging
Comorbid psychiatric conditions that significantly elevate the risk of study participation (e.g. psychotic disorders, bipolar disorder, evidence of dementia or other cognitive disorder, suicidality)
Unstable medical conditions that need attention and would make participation in the study unsafe (e.g. very high blood pressure)
Use of psychotropic medication
Females who are pregnant or post-menopausal

Inclusion Criteria for Healthy Volunteers

Male and females aged 18-55

Exclusion Criteria for Healthy Volunteers

Presence of metallic devices or dental braces in the body that are contraindicators for MR imaging
Any psychiatric diagnosis
Use of psychotropic medication
Diagnosis of OCD in a first degree relative
Females who are pregnant or post-menopausal
Unstable medical conditions that need attention and would make participation in the study unsafe (e.g. very high blood pressure)