Brain Sciences

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Kathrin Koch

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Guest Editor

Department of Neuroradiology, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich 81675, Germany
Interests: OCD; fMRI; DTI; cognition; brain structure; brain function; connectivity

Dr. Gerd Wagner

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Guest Editor

Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital, 07743 Jena, Germany
Interests: suicidal behavior; suicidal ideations; OCD; major depression; fMRI; DTI; cognition; brain structure; brain function; connectivity; psychotherapy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is a severe mental illness with a lifetime prevalence of 2%–3%. Traditionally, it is assumed to be characterized by anxiety-provoking, obsessive thoughts (i.e., obsessions), which patients react to with repetitive behaviors (i.e., compulsions) to counteract anxiety.

However, in the recent editions of the DSM-5 as well as ICD-11, a noticeable nosological change occurred. OCD was removed from the Anxiety Disorders chapter, and a new chapter containing the Obsessive–Compulsive and Related Disorders (OCRDs) was established. The central diagnostic focus is now shifted from anxiety-associated symptoms to compulsions.

This change is also due to several neuroimaging studies providing evidence for distinct neurobiological mechanisms underlying OCD and anxiety disorders. In addition, both diagnostic classification systems also include newly defined disorders with obsessive–compulsive features, such as hoarding disorder.

According to the traditional neurobiological model, OCD is characterized by an aberrant activity of the cortico-striato-thalamocortical pathway (CSTC) and the reward circuitry. An increasing amount of brain imaging studies in OCD are however indicating that the areas or networks affected by both structural and functional alterations are not restricted to regions of this pathway, and while some studies point to relatively complex and rather extensive changes in brain structure and function in patients with OCD, meta- and mega-analyses brought about by, e.g., the ENIMGA consortium illustrate alterations in a number of clearly delineated core regions, such as the hippocampus, pallidum or the thalamus.

Moreover, evidence for the therapeutic efficacy of tDCS and deep brain stimulation (DBS), usually targeting one or few selected core regions, demonstrates the relevance of specific areas for the psychopathology of the disorder. Hence, further research—ideally taking into account the clinical heterogeneity of this complex illness—is needed to improve our understanding of the underlying neurobiological mechanisms, thus enabling us to develop more effective treatment strategies.

This Special Issue of Brain Sciences will present recent advances and prospects in OCD research, focusing in particular on brain research seeking to improve our understanding of the cerebral characteristics of the disorder.

Dr. Kathrin Koch
Dr. Gerd Wagner
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Brain Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Obsessive–compulsive disorder
OCD
fMRI
DTI
Connectivity
Therapy

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Review

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15 pages, 1715 KiB

Open AccessReview

A Systematic Review of Behavioral, Physiological, and Neurobiological Cognitive Regulation Alterations in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

by Sónia Ferreira, José Miguel Pêgo and Pedro Morgado

Brain Sci. 2020, 10(11), 797; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci10110797 - 29 Oct 2020

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 5664

Abstract

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by cognitive regulation deficits. However, the current literature has focused on executive functioning and emotional response impairments in this disorder. Herein, we conducted a systematic review of studies assessing the behavioral, physiological, and neurobiological alterations in cognitive regulation in obsessive-compulsive patients using the PubMed database. Most of the studies included explored behavioral (distress, arousal, and frequency of intrusive thoughts) and neurobiological measures (brain activity and functional connectivity) using affective cognitive regulation paradigms. Our results pointed to the advantageous use of reappraisal and acceptance strategies in contrast to suppression to reduce distress and frequency of intrusive thoughts. Moreover, we observed alterations in frontoparietal network activity during cognitive regulation. Our conclusions are limited by the inclusion of underpowered studies with treated patients. Nonetheless, our findings support the OCD impairments in cognitive regulation of emotion and might help to improve current guidelines for cognitive therapy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder: Latest Advances and Prospects)

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Other

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14 pages, 1286 KiB

Open AccessOpinion

A Psychophysical Window onto the Subjective Experience of Compulsion

by Stefan Schmidt, Gerd Wagner, Martin Walter and Max-Philipp Stenner

Brain Sci. 2021, 11(2), 182; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11020182 - 2 Feb 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2107

Abstract

In this perspective, we follow the idea that an integration of cognitive models with sensorimotor theories of compulsion is required to understand the subjective experience of compulsive action. We argue that cognitive biases in obsessive–compulsive disorder may obscure an altered momentary, pre-reflective experience of sensorimotor control, whose detection thus requires an implicit experimental operationalization. We propose that a classic psychophysical test exists that provides this implicit operationalization, i.e., the intentional binding paradigm. We show how intentional binding can pit two ideas against each other that are fundamental to current sensorimotor theories of compulsion, i.e., the idea of excessive conscious monitoring of action, and the idea that patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder compensate for diminished conscious access to “internal states”, including states of the body, by relying on more readily observable proxies. Following these ideas, we develop concrete, testable hypotheses on how intentional binding changes under the assumption of different sensorimotor theories of compulsion. Furthermore, we demonstrate how intentional binding provides a touchstone for predictive coding accounts of obsessive–compulsive disorder. A thorough empirical test of the hypotheses developed in this perspective could help explain the puzzling, disabling phenomenon of compulsion, with implications for the normal subjective experience of human action. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder: Latest Advances and Prospects)

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