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Life
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Compulsive Disorder: Understanding of the Pathophysiology and Therapeutic Implications
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Compulsive Disorder: Understanding of the Pathophysiology and Therapeutic Implications

A special issue of Life (ISSN 2075-1729). This special issue belongs to the section "Physiology and Pathology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 377

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Donatella Marazziti

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Section of Psychiatry, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Via Roma 67, 56100 Pisa, Italy
Interests: biological psychiatry; neurobiology; psychopharmacology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Compulsive phenomena cut across traditional diagnostic boundaries and coalesce around a narrowed repertoire of overlearned responses, sustained by dysregulation within cortico-striato-thalamo cortical loops and by alterations in cognitive control, valuation, and habit mechanisms, a framework that invites mechanistic inquiry and translational ambition alike. Building on convergent evidence from circuit mapping, computational modeling, and neurochemistry, with glutamatergic, dopaminergic, and neuroimmune signals repeatedly implicated, contemporary research is beginning to link cellular and synaptic perturbations to systems-level biomarkers and to clinically observable rigidity in thought and behavior, thereby refining targets for both pharmacologic modulation and neuromodulatory intervention. At the same time, a transdiagnostic perspective on compulsivity encourages the integration of obsessive–compulsive disorder with related conditions and behaviors, allowing shared pathways to be tested against developmental trajectories, comorbidity patterns, and treatment response, and fostering the search for predictors that can guide personalization across the lifespan. This Special Issue seeks work that advances understanding from molecules to networks to patients, and that connects pathophysiology to therapeutic implications, including optimization of exposure-based psychotherapy, augmentation strategies aimed at glutamate and inflammation, and precision approaches to brain stimulation that translate circuit knowledge into durable clinical benefit.

Prof. Dr. Donatella Marazziti
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. Life 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 2600 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
  • compulsivity
  • cortico-striato-thalamo cortical circuits
  • cognitive inflexibility
  • glutamatergic modulation
  • neuroimmune mechanisms
  • neuromodulation
  • deep brain stimulation
  • precision psychiatry

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

14 pages, 250 KB  
Article
Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Clinical Fingerprints of the Comorbidity
by Luca Pellegrini, Gabriele Di Salvo, Gianluca Rosso, Giuseppe Maina and Umberto Albert
Life 2026, 16(5), 792; https://doi.org/10.3390/life16050792 (registering DOI) - 9 May 2026
Viewed by 154
Abstract
Background: Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) frequently co-occurs with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but the prevalence and clinical correlates of this comorbidity remain incompletely understood. Methods: We examined a clinical sample of 603 patients with a primary diagnosis of OCD, of whom 149 (24.7%) presented [...] Read more.
Background: Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) frequently co-occurs with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but the prevalence and clinical correlates of this comorbidity remain incompletely understood. Methods: We examined a clinical sample of 603 patients with a primary diagnosis of OCD, of whom 149 (24.7%) presented with comorbid ASD. Sociodemographic variables, clinical characteristics, comorbidities, and obsessive–compulsive symptom dimensions were compared between patients with and without ASD. Results: Patients with OCD + ASD reported an earlier onset of both obsessive–compulsive symptoms and full-blown disorder. While overall symptom severity (Y-BOCS, HAM-D, and HAM-A) was comparable, OCD + ASD patients were characterized by a higher exposure to stressful and traumatic life events, including severe trauma (e.g., death of a close family member, sexual abuse, physical violence, serious illness, and bullying). Severe traumatic events, in particular, were independently associated with ASD comorbidity in our OCD cohort (exploratory model). Comorbidities were also distinct: onychophagia (66.4% vs. 0.4%) and trichotillomania (8.7% vs. 0%) were markedly more prevalent in the OCD + ASD group. Phenomenologically, OCD + ASD patients more often exhibited religious and somatic obsessions, as well as repetition compulsions. Specifically, somatic obsessions were independently associated with ASD in our regression analysis. Conclusions: OCD with comorbid ASD represents a clinically distinct subgroup, characterized by greater vulnerability to trauma, earlier onset, unique symptom profiles, and specific comorbidities. Recognition of these features, and in particular a history of severe traumatic experiences and the presence of somatic obsessions, may support earlier consideration of ASD comorbidity during OCD assessment and may inform personalized treatment planning. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Compulsive Disorder: Understanding of the Pathophysiology and Therapeutic Implications)
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