Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Study, Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre

Our own neuropsyhological study of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), Depression and Panic Disorder has identified specific cognitive deficits in OCD that implicate dysfunction of prefrontal and striatal brain regions. This study compared patients with OCD, patients with Depression, and normal control subjects while they performed cognitive tasks of response inhibition during brain scanning. The identification of differences between the groups in relation to the patterns of brain activation associated with response inhibition processes allowed a more precise understanding of the nature of brain function in OCD and Depression, and enabled us to delineate whether patterns of brain activation among OCD patients are specific to the disorder, or are related to comorbid depression.

Approximately 30 patients (non-medicated) were recruited from the Royal Melbourne Hospital/University of Melbourne Psychology Clinic. All participants took part in interviews, MRI and PET scanning.

Time Period: 1997 to 1999

我们针对强迫症（OCD）、抑郁症及惊恐障碍（Panic Disorder）开展的神经心理学研究，已识别出强迫症患者存在的特定认知缺陷，这些缺陷提示前额叶与纹状体脑区功能异常。本研究对比了强迫症患者、抑郁症患者及正常对照受试者在脑扫描期间执行反应抑制认知任务时的表现。通过识别各组间与反应抑制过程相关的脑激活模式差异，我们得以更精准地理解强迫症与抑郁症患者脑功能的本质，并能够阐明强迫症患者的脑激活模式是该疾病所特有，还是与共病抑郁症相关。

约30名非药物治疗的患者从皇家墨尔本医院/墨尔本大学心理诊所招募而来。所有参与者均完成了访谈、磁共振成像（MRI）及正电子发射断层扫描（PET）检查。

时间范围：1997年至1999年