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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 3, 2026

Signal Attenuation as a Rat Model of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Signal Attenuation as a Rat Model of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Published on: January 9, 2015

Recent advances in compulsive hoarding.

Sanjaya Saxena¹

¹Department of Psychiatry, University of California at San Diego, 8950 Villa La Jolla Village Drive, Suite C-207, San Diego, CA 92037, USA. ssaxena@ucsd.edu

Current Psychiatry Reports

|July 17, 2008

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Compulsive hoarding, a disabling neuropsychiatric disorder, is now recognized as a distinct condition. Research highlights its genetic basis, neurobiology, and effective treatments like cognitive-behavioral therapy.

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Area of Science:

Neuropsychiatry
Clinical Psychology
Genetics

Background:

Compulsive hoarding is a prevalent and disabling neuropsychiatric disorder.
It is characterized by difficulty discarding possessions, excessive acquisition, and disorganization.
Previously linked to obsessive-compulsive disorder, it's now considered a separate disorder.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the conceptualization, phenomenology, diagnosis, etiology, neurobiology, and treatment of compulsive hoarding.
To highlight recent evidence supporting its classification as a distinct disorder.
To summarize current understanding of its genetic and neurobiological underpinnings.

Main Methods:

Review of existing literature on compulsive hoarding.
Analysis of conceptual, phenomenological, and diagnostic data.
Synthesis of findings from neuroimaging and neuropsychological studies.

Main Results:

Compulsive hoarding is a discrete clinical syndrome with specific diagnostic criteria.
It is a strongly heritable phenotype with genetic underpinnings.
Neuroimaging implicates prefrontal cortical dysfunction in decision-making, attention, and emotional regulation.

Conclusions:

Compulsive hoarding warrants classification as a separate disorder.
Pharmacotherapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy are effective treatments.
Further research is needed to fully understand its prevalence, etiology, and pathophysiology.