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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 26, 2026

Exploring the Neural Correlates of Cognitive Reappraisal in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Using Task-based Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Exploring the Neural Correlates of Cognitive Reappraisal in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Using Task-based Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Published on: March 14, 2025

A neurocomputational approach to obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Tiago V Maia¹, James L McClelland

¹Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, and New York State Psychiatric Institute, 1051 Riverside Drive, Unit 78, New York, NY 10032, USA. tmaia@columbia.edu

Trends in Cognitive Sciences

|December 14, 2011

Summary

Altering a single parameter in a neural network model of brain dynamics can cause persistent, repetitive behaviors. This finding may offer insights into obsessive-compulsive disorder and its link to glutamatergic hyperactivity.

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Published on: March 14, 2025

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Area of Science:

Computational neuroscience
Neuropsychology
Systems neuroscience

Background:

Repetitive behaviors are a hallmark of several neuropsychiatric disorders.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by intrusive thoughts and repetitive behaviors.
Evidence suggests glutamatergic hyperactivity in the brains of individuals with OCD.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how changes in neural network dynamics can lead to persistent, repetitive behaviors.
To explore the potential implications of these findings for understanding obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Main Methods:

Simulated neural-network models of brain dynamics.
Analysis of parameter-induced changes in network behavior.
Comparison of model outputs with clinical observations in OCD.

Main Results:

A single parameter alteration in the neural network model induced repetitive behaviors that resisted termination.
The network exhibited a tendency towards these emergent repetitive behaviors.
The simulated behaviors align with clinical descriptions of repetitive actions in OCD.

Conclusions:

Neural network dynamics can exhibit emergent properties leading to persistent, repetitive behaviors.
These findings provide a potential computational model for understanding aspects of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
The results support the hypothesis linking glutamatergic system dysfunction to repetitive behaviors in OCD.