Initial research suggests that the brain’s endocannabinoid system is involved in the regulation of OCD symptoms and anxiety. Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase (FAAH) is an enzyme that regulates levels of… Read more »
Deep TMS for obsessive-compulsive disorder: An fMRI study
Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation (dTMS), a non-invasive and generally well-tolerated brain stimulation method, was recently granted FDA clearance for the treatment of OCD after pilot studies, real-world data, and a… Read more »
Personalized neuromodulation for a novel OCD biomarker and treatment
Although multiple treatments for OCD exist, slow symptom decrease, high remission, and significant side effects for some OCD patients limit their efficacy. More research into the precise neural mechanisms and… Read more »
Using magnetic-resonance imaging (MRI) to study brain functioning in individuals with trichotillomania
Trichotillomania is an OCD-related disorder characterized by compulsive hair pulling, and associated with impaired social functioning and self-esteem. This study by Dr. O’Sullivan and his team proposed using magnetic resonance… Read more »
Monoclonal D8/17 positivity: A possible peripheral marker for some forms of OCD
Sydenham’s chorea is a type of rheumatic fever that may result from infections like strep throat, and which shares symptoms with OCD and Tourette syndrome. Previous research showed that an… Read more »
Cytokine production in patients with OCD
Chronic and prolonged stress coupled with a long period of grief and despair can lead to an increased vulnerability to illness through their effects on the immune system. As a… Read more »
Cerebral metabolic predictors of response to paroxetine and risperidone in refractory obsessive compulsive disorder
Positron emission tomography (PET; body scans that measure changes in metabolic processes, blood flow, and other processes) scans have shown increased glucose metabolic rates in the brains of OCD patients,… Read more »
Investigation of orbital frontal cortex volume from structural MRI in obsessive compulsive disorder
Functional brain imaging of OCD patients showed abnormalities in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC; a brain region responsible for decision making which is linked to multiple regions related to emotion, reward,… Read more »
Adrenal enzyme disorders define a subtype of OCD that responds to a unique treatment
A risk factor that can predispose some individuals to develop OCD is a group of inherited adrenal gland enzyme disorders that affect the body’s steroid hormone production. Despite the effects… Read more »
Functional neuroanatomy of obsessive compulsive hoarding
This study was conducted before hoarding disorder (HD) became a separate diagnosis in the DSM-V in 2013. At the time of the study, research showed that 30% of OCD patients… Read more »