Presupplementary Motor Area Contributes to Altered Error Monitoring in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Hyperactive performance monitoring, as measured by the error-related negativity (ERN) in the event-related potential, is a reliable finding in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) research and may be an endophenotype of the disorder. Imaging studies revealed inconsistent results as to which brain regions are involved in altered performance monitoring in OCD. We investigated performance monitoring in OCD with simultaneous recording of electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) signals to determine the neural source of the enhanced ERN.

Concurrent EEG and fMRI data were collected from 20 patients with OCD and 22 healthy control subjects during a flanker task. Independent component analysis was used separately on EEG and fMRI to segment the data functionally and focus on processes of interest. The ERN, hemodynamic responses following errors, and intraindividual correlation of the ERN and blood oxygen level-dependent activity were compared between groups.

Patients with OCD showed significantly increased ERN amplitudes. Blood oxygen level-dependent activity in midcingulate cortex was not significantly different between groups. Increased activation of the right amygdala and the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex following errors was observed in patients with OCD. Increased intraindividual correlation of the ERN and activity of the presupplementary motor area was found in patients with OCD compared with healthy controls.

Higher error-related activity was found in the amygdala and subgenual anterior cingulate cortex, suggesting a stronger affective response toward errors in patients with OCD. Additionally, increased correlation of the ERN and presupplementary motor area may indicate stronger recruitment of proactive control in OCD.