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Neuropsychological functioning in hoarding disorder

David F Tolin1, Anna Villavicencio, Andrea Umbach

  • 1The Institute of Living, Hartford, CT, USA. dtolin@harthosp.org

Psychiatry Research
|July 19, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Hoarding disorder (HD) patients show attention and memory deficits compared to healthy individuals. While similar to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients, hoarders may have slightly worse attention.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Psychiatry
  • Cognitive Psychology

Background:

  • Hoarding disorder (HD) is increasingly recognized as distinct from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
  • Previous research suggests HD may involve significant neurocognitive deficits.
  • Direct comparisons of neuropsychological function between HD and OCD patients are limited.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare neuropsychological test performance in patients with hoarding disorder (HD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and healthy controls.
  • To investigate specific cognitive domains, including attention and memory strategies.
  • To contribute to the understanding of HD as a distinct clinical entity.

Main Methods:

  • A neuropsychological assessment was conducted comparing three groups: HD patients (n=27), OCD patients (n=12), and healthy controls (n=26).
  • Tests evaluated sustained attention and the use of adaptive memory strategies.
  • Statistical analyses examined group differences and rates of cognitive impairment.

Main Results:

  • HD patients demonstrated reduced sustained attention and poorer use of adaptive memory strategies compared to healthy controls.
  • HD and OCD patients showed no significant differences in these cognitive measures, though moderate effect sizes indicated potentially greater attentional deficits in HD.
  • A higher percentage of HD patients (67%) scored in the impaired range on at least one neuropsychological test compared to OCD patients (58%) and healthy controls (42%).

Conclusions:

  • Neurocognitive deficits in attention and memory are present in hoarding disorder.
  • While sharing some cognitive similarities with OCD, HD may exhibit distinct patterns of attentional impairment.
  • These findings support the conceptualization of hoarding disorder as a separate illness from OCD.

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