Article
Psychiatry
Nur Dikmeer, Lutfullah Besiroglu, Maria A. Di Biase, Andrew Zalesky, Meltem I. Kasal, Aslihan Bilge, Ercan Durmaz, Serap Polat, Fazil Gelal, Nabi Zorlu
Summary: In comparison to healthy controls, OCD patients showed reduced FA and increased RD in certain key areas of the brain. OCD group also exhibited weaker connectivity in the right hemisphere compared to controls. Siblings of OCD patients had intermediate levels of white matter microstructure and connectivity, suggesting a familial predisposition for OCD.
ACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
M. Alemany-Navarro, M. Tubio-Fungueirino, S. Diz-de Almeida, R. Cruz, A. Lombroso, E. Real, V. Soria, S. Bertolin, M. Fernandez-Prieto, P. Alonso, J. M. Menchon, A. Carracedo, C. Segalas
Summary: This study analyzed the association of SNPs with neurocognitive variables in a sample of 133 OCD probands. The results suggest that studying neurocognitive variables in GWAS may provide more insight into the genetic basis of OCD and facilitate the development of individualized treatment approaches.
JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS
(2023)
Article
Psychiatry
Ana Beatriz Ravagnani Salto, Marcos L. Santoro, Marcelo Q. Hoexter, Andrea Parolin Jackowski, Pedro M. Pan, Maria Conceicao Rosario, Sintia Belangero, Pedro Gomes Alvarenga, Victoria Fogaca Doretto, Afonso Mazine Tiago Fumo, Marcelo C. Batistuzzo, Pedro Macul Ferreira de Barros, Kiara R. Timpano, Vanessa K. Ota, Luis Augusto Rohde, Euripedes Constantino Miguel, James F. Leckman, Andre Zugman
Summary: The study found a significant relationship between OCS and the symmetrized percent change (SPC) of the right thalamus volume in children, but there was no significant relationship between changes in thalamic volume SPC and OCD-PRS. These findings suggest the need for further research to confirm the results and further characterize the specific nature of OCS symptoms associated with thalamic volumes.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHIATRY
(2021)
Article
Psychology, Developmental
Aleya A. Marzuki, Matilde M. Vaghi, Anna Conway-Morris, Muzaffer Kaser, Akeem Sule, Annemieke Apergis-Schoute, Barbara J. Sahakian, Trevor W. Robbins
Summary: This study investigated the relationship between action and confidence in adolescents with OCD, and found that they displayed increased learning rates, particularly following small prediction errors. This tendency was primarily driven by unmedicated patients. Patients' confidence was less affected by prediction errors compared to controls. There were no significant differences between patients and controls in the extent to which they updated actions and confidence.
JOURNAL OF CHILD PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Article
Psychiatry
Hugues Lamothe, Ophelia Godin, Chloe Stengel, Safiyah Benmansour, Soline Burckard, Julie Brouillet, Jean Petrucci, Delphine Weil, Florian Lejuste, Marion Leboyer
Summary: This study aimed to investigate if adults with ASD and comorbid OCD exhibit specific clinical profiles. The results showed that adults with ASD and comorbid OCD had lower verbal IQ and more severe impairments in social cognition. This suggests that ASD with comorbid OCD could be a possible subtype of ASD.
PSYCHIATRY RESEARCH
(2022)
Editorial Material
Clinical Neurology
Trevor. W. Robbins
Summary: This scientific commentary discusses the research conducted by Kim et al. on the unbalanced fronto-pallidal neurocircuit underlying set shifting in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder, published in the journal Brain.
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Basak Sahin, Yasir Safak, Kadir Ozdel
Summary: This study aimed to identify cognitive differences specific to symptom dimensions of OCD and investigate the relationship between these dimensions and cognitive features. The results showed that certain cognitive features were closely associated with specific symptom dimensions and could even predict these dimensions.
CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Neuroimaging
Lutfullah Besiroglu, Andrew Zalesky, Meltem Kasal, Nur Dikmeer, Ercan Durmaz, Serap Polat, Fazil Gelal, Nabi Zorlu
Summary: This study aimed to examine cortical thickness and surface area differences between patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and their unaffected siblings. The results showed that both OCD patients and unaffected siblings had significantly lower cortical thickness in the right anterior insula. Additionally, OCD patients had reduced surface areas in the superior frontal gyrus, paracentral gyrus, and precuneus of the right hemisphere. These findings suggest that lower cortical thickness in the right anterior insula may represent a potential structural endophenotype for OCD.
BRAIN IMAGING AND BEHAVIOR
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Melanie Genetti Gatfield, Julie Peron, Friedrich Medlin, Jean-Marie Annoni, Ettore A. Accolla
Summary: This study explores neurological evidence of compulsions without obsession in a patient following a stroke in the left subcortical regions, highlighting the significant role of compulsions in OCD pathology. Additionally, comprehensive neuropsychological findings revealed specific alterations in executive and emotional domains. MRI analyses further demonstrated a strong decrease in connectivity following the subcortical stroke, indicating large network alterations.
Review
Neurosciences
Xuanyi Li, Qiang Kang, Hanxing Gu
Summary: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common mental disease with increasing incidence rate. There is a growing focus on the application of neuroimaging in the diagnosis and treatment of OCD, utilizing machine learning and artificial intelligence to enhance the display of medical information.
FRONTIERS IN HUMAN NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kenta Sashikata, Eiji Ozawa
Summary: This study developed a scale to assess OC tendencies among Japanese university students. The revised five-factor structure includes ordering, obsessions, cleaning, indecisiveness, and checking. The scale showed good criterion-related validity, convergent validity, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability. It has the potential to contribute to mental health support for university students by measuring daily OC tendencies.
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Zhishun Wang, Martine Fontaine, Marilyn Cyr, Moira A. Rynn, Helen Blair Simpson, Rachel Marsh, David Pagliaccio
Summary: This study is the largest to date examining subcortical surface morphometry in OCD. The results show that individuals with OCD exhibit surface expansions on the right nucleus accumbens and inward left amygdala deformations, and these shape alterations are associated with OCD symptom severity. The study also found that these changes are driven by age and health status.
DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY
(2022)
Review
Psychiatry
Louise Destree, Mary-Ellen E. Brierley, Lucy Albertella, Laura Jobson, Leonardo F. Fontenelle
Summary: This study conducted a systematic review on the relationships between childhood trauma and obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) severity. The results showed a significant relationship between exposure to childhood trauma and OCS severity in both clinical and non-clinical populations. It was also found that a range of childhood trauma types, rather than a single type, was associated with OCD.
JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH
(2021)
Review
Psychiatry
Riccardo Guglielmo, Kamilla Woznica Miskowiak, Gregor Hasler
Summary: The review aimed to examine recent literature on clinical, epidemiological, neurobiological, and genetic findings related to bipolar disorder endophenotypes. Strong candidate endophenotypes were suggested to include circadian rhythm instability, dysmodulation of emotion and reward, altered neuroimmune state, attention and executive dysfunctions, anterior cingulate cortex thickness, and early white matter abnormalities. Research suggests a developmental origin of the disorder, with these candidate endophenotypes present in early stages and at-risk individuals.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIPOLAR DISORDERS
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Shari A. Steinman, Joseph E. Dunsmoor, Zhamilya Gazman, Yael Stovezky, Olivia Pascucci, Justin Pomerenke, Elizabeth A. Phelps, Abby Fyer, H. Blair Simpson
Summary: Studies show that replacing the expected threat with a novel outcome is more effective in reducing the return of conditioned fear in individuals with pathological anxiety compared to threat omission alone. However, this preliminary test did not find that novelty facilitated extinction.
FRONTIERS IN BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Psychiatry
Masanori Isobe, Matilde Vaghi, Naomi A. Fineberg, Annemieke M. Apergis-Schoute, Edward T. Bullmore, Barbara J. Sahakian, Trevor W. Robbins, Samuel R. Chamberlain
Summary: The study demonstrates a link between cognitive inflexibility and putamen morphology in OCD patients and their relatives, indicating a familial marker of OCD. The findings suggest a shared abnormality in basal ganglia structure associated with cognitive rigidity among individuals with OCD and their asymptomatic relatives.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Nina M. Lutz, Samuel R. Chamberlain, Ian M. Goodyer, Anupam Bhardwaj, Barbara J. Sahakian, Peter B. Jones, Paul O. Wilkinson
Summary: The study found that repetitive NSSI is associated with increased behavioral compulsivity and disadvantageous decision making, but not with behavioral impulsivity. Future research should continue investigating how neurocognitive phenotypes contribute to the onset and maintenance of NSSI.
Editorial Material
Neurosciences
Qiang Luo, Barbara J. Sahakian
NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Lizhu Luo, Christelle Langley, Laura Moreno-Lopez, Keith Kendrick, David K. Menon, Emmanuel A. Stamatakis, Barbara J. Sahakian
Summary: This study examined the association between depressive symptoms in traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients and altered resting-state functional connectivity (rs-fc) or voxel-based morphology in brain regions involved in emotional regulation and associated with depression. The results showed a positive association between depression scores and rs-fc between limbic regions and cognitive control regions, while there was a negative association between depression scores and rs-fc between limbic and frontal regions involved in emotion regulation. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying depression following TBI and can inform treatment decisions.
PSYCHOLOGICAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Psychiatry
Qingyang Li, Lingli Zhang, Haidi Shan, Juehua Yu, Yuan Dai, Hua He, Wei-Guang Li, Christelle Langley, Barbara J. Sahakian, Yin Yao, Qiang Luo, Fei Li
Summary: This study found that cytokine measurements can help identify possible responders to bumetanide in children with ASD, suggesting that immune responses may interact with the mechanism of action of bumetanide to enhance GABA function in ASD.
TRANSLATIONAL PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Chun Shen, Edmund T. Rolls, Wei Cheng, Jujiao Kang, Guiying Dong, Chao Xie, Xing-Ming Zhao, Barbara J. Sahakian, Jianfeng Feng
Summary: Social isolation and loneliness are independently associated with the occurrence of dementia. Social isolation may be an early indicator of increased risk of dementia and is related to brain structure and gene expression.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Martine Skumlien, Claire Mokrysz, Tom P. Freeman, Vincent Valton, Matthew B. Wall, Michael Bloomfield, Rachel Lees, Anna Borissova, Kat Petrilli, Manuela Giugliano, Denisa Clisu, Christelle Langley, Barbara J. Sahakian, H. Valerie Curran, Will Lawn
Summary: This study examined the association between cannabis use and anhedonia, apathy, pleasure, and effort-based decision-making for reward, and explored the moderating effect of age group.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Wei Luo, Lizhu Luo, Qiang Wang, Yunge Li, Yamin Zhang, Yalan Hu, Yue Yu, Shu Yu, Fengmei Lu, Jiajia Chen, Li Liu, Na Du, Christelle Langley, Barbara J. Sahakian, Zongling He, Tao Li
Summary: The present study aimed to compare the cognitive impairments between patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and major depressive disorder (MDD). Both GAD and MDD groups showed significant deficits in sustained attention, visual memory, working memory, and learning compared to healthy controls. However, the MDD group had more severe impairment in learning, particularly generalization, while the GAD group had more pronounced deficits in visual memory.
JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Xinran Wu, Lena Palaniyappan, Gechang Yu, Kai Zhang, Jakob Seidlitz, Zhaowen Liu, Xiangzhen Kong, Gunter Schumann, Jianfeng Feng, Barbara J. Sahakian, Trevor W. Robbins, Edward Bullmore, Jie Zhang
Summary: This study constructed a whole-brain morphometric similarity network and found that developmental dissimilarities between cortical and subcortical regions were associated with cognitive and psychiatric status during preadolescence.
MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Christelle Langley, Sophia Armand, Qiang Luo, George Savulich, Tina Segerberg, Anna Sondergaard, Elisabeth B. Pedersen, Nanna Svart, Oliver Overgaard-Hansen, Annette Johansen, Camilla Borgsted, Rudolf N. Cardinal, Trevor W. Robbins, Dea S. Stenbaek, Gitte M. Knudsen, Barbara J. Sahakian
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the chronic effects of the SSRI escitalopram on cognition in healthy volunteers. The findings revealed that escitalopram decreased reinforcement sensitivity but had no significant impact on "cold" cognition and decision-making ability. These findings suggest that serotonin reuptake inhibition plays a role in reinforcement learning in healthy individuals.
NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Psychiatry
Barbara J. Sahakian
Summary: In this article, the author discusses the important areas where scientists can have impact, including problem solving, new developments, and addressing neuroethical and societal concerns. The author emphasizes the importance of early detection, pharmacological treatment, and neuropsychological understanding of cognitive deficits in neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders. The author also highlights the role of books, articles, and media in influencing government policy and encourages young scientists to contribute to policy development and public engagement.
PSYCHIATRY RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Psychiatry
Vibeke Hoyrup Dam, Dea Siggaard Stenbaek, Kristin Kohler-Forsberg, Cheng Ip, Brice Ozenne, Barbara Jacquelyn Sahakian, Gitte Moos Knudsen, Martin Balslev Jorgensen, Vibe Gedsoe Frokjaer
Summary: This study investigates the cognitive performance and its relationship with antidepressant treatment response in patients with major depressive disorder. The results show that cognitive performance improves during antidepressant treatment, independent of mood symptoms. However, patients with severe baseline cognitive disturbances may have poorer clinical response after 8 weeks of treatment. Hence, considering cognitive performance across different domains may be useful for stratifying patients with major depressive disorder.
TRANSLATIONAL PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Roxanne W. Hook, Masanori Isobe, George Savulich, Jon E. Grant, Konstantinos Ioannidis, David Christmas, Barbara J. Sahakian, Trevor W. Robbins, Samuel R. Chamberlain
Summary: This study found that single-dose istradefylline can impact human cognition, particularly in the social information preference task with emotional loading. This indicates the under-studied role of the adenosine neurochemical system in human cognition, which requires further exploration.
EUROPEAN NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Psychiatry
Michal M. Graczyk, Barbara J. Sahakian, Trevor W. Robbins, Karen D. Ersche
Summary: Not everyone who uses drugs loses control over their intake, which is a hallmark of addiction. Although familial risk studies suggest significant addiction heritability, the genetic basis of vulnerability to drug addiction remains largely unknown. In this study, the researchers examined the relationship between self-control, cocaine use, and a specific gene variant (rs36024) associated with the noradrenaline transporter gene. They found that individuals carrying the C-allele of this gene exhibited impaired self-control, particularly in the context of chronic cocaine use. Patients with cocaine use disorder who had the CC genotype showed longer stop-signal reaction time and fewer successful stops compared to healthy controls and patients with the TT genotype. These findings suggest that rs36024 may be a potential genetic vulnerability marker for cocaine addiction.
TRANSLATIONAL PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Experimental
Amy Rachel Bland, Jonathan Paul Roiser, Mitul Ashok Mehta, Barbara Jacquelyn Sahakian, Trevor William Robbins, Rebecca Elliott
Summary: The study found that COVID-19 social isolation has an impact on emotional and social cognitive function, with reduced contact with friends, smaller household size, and changes in communication methods leading to a decrease in positive bias in emotion recognition and attention to emotional faces. Conversely, increased contact with friends and family during social isolation was associated with greater cooperative behavior.
COGNITION & EMOTION
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Edna C. Cieslik, Markus Ullsperger, Martin Gell, Simon B. Eickhoff, Robert Langner
Summary: Previous studies on error processing have primarily focused on the posterior medial frontal cortex, but the role of other brain regions has been underestimated. This study used activation likelihood estimation meta-analyses to explore brain activity related to committing errors and responding successfully in interference tasks. It was found that the salience network and the temporoparietal junction were commonly involved in both correct and incorrect responses, indicating their general involvement in coping with situations that require increased cognitive control. Error-specific convergence was observed in the dorsal posterior cingulate cortex, posterior thalamus, and left superior frontal gyrus, while successful responding showed stronger convergence in the dorsal attention network and lateral prefrontal regions. Underrecruitment of these regions in error trials may reflect failures in activating the appropriate stimulus-response contingencies necessary for successful response execution.
NEUROSCIENCE AND BIOBEHAVIORAL REVIEWS
(2024)