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Related Experiment Videos

Obsessional slowness. Functional studies with positron emission tomography.

G V Sawle1, N F Hymas, A J Lees

  • 1MRC Cyclotron Unit, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK.

Brain : a Journal of Neurology
|October 1, 1991
PubMed
Summary

Obsessional Slowness (OS) patients show brain overactivity in frontal areas, not dopamine system deficits. This suggests a novel functional explanation for their extreme task slowness.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Psychiatry
  • Medical Imaging

Background:

  • Obsessional Slowness (OS) is characterized by extreme task execution slowness.
  • Potential causes include time-consuming rituals, checking behaviors, and compulsions.
  • Neurological signs like glabellar tap reflex may be present.

Observation:

  • Studied 6 patients with Obsessional Slowness (OS).
  • Utilized Positron Emission Tomography (PET) with (15)Oxygen for regional cerebral oxygen metabolism.
  • [18F]-6-Fluorodopa (18F-dopa) assessed presynaptic nigrostriatal system integrity.

Findings:

  • Focal hypermetabolism observed in orbital frontal, premotor, and midfrontal cortex.
  • Normal dopa uptake in the caudate, putamen, and medial frontal cortex.

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  • No evidence of presynaptic nigrostriatal system dysfunction.

    • Implications:

    • Suggests a functional explanation for OS slowness beyond basal ganglia dopamine pathways.
    • Highlights the role of frontal cortical dysfunction in Obsessional Slowness.
    • Opens avenues for targeted therapeutic interventions focusing on frontal lobe circuits.