Neurocognitive function in paediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder
Daniel A Geller1, Amitai Abramovitch1,2, Andrew Mittelman1
1a Department of Psychiatry Massachusetts General Hospital & Harvard Medical School , Boston, MA , USA.
Summary
Youths with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) show slower processing speed and perform worse on timed visuospatial and working memory tasks. However, their overall cognitive performance remains within the normative range.
Area of Science:
- Neuropsychology
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Background:
- Research on cognitive impairments in pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is inconsistent.
- Previous meta-analyses suggest minimal cognitive deficits, highlighting the need for further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine neuropsychological performance in a large sample of children and adolescents with OCD.
- To identify potential moderators of cognitive performance in pediatric OCD.
Main Methods:
- A comprehensive neuropsychological assessment was administered to 102 youths with OCD and 161 matched controls.
- Evaluated domains included processing speed, visuospatial abilities (VSA), working memory (WM), non-verbal memory (NVM), and executive functions (EF).
- Comorbidities were screened and participants were blindly evaluated.
Main Results:
- Youths with OCD demonstrated slower processing speed compared to controls.
- Underperformance in VSA and WM was observed exclusively on timed tasks.
- No significant differences were found in NVM and EF tasks between groups.
- Standardized scores for the OCD group fell within the normative range.
Conclusions:
- Pediatric OCD is associated with slower processing speed and deficits in timed VSA and WM tasks.
- Despite normative overall scores, relative cognitive weaknesses in these areas may be clinically significant.
- These findings underscore the importance of considering specific cognitive profiles in clinical and educational settings for youths with OCD.
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