Personality measures after gamma ventral capsulotomy in intractable OCD

Area of Science:

• Neurosurgery
• Psychiatry
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Gamma ventral capsulotomy (GVC) is a neurosurgical option for intractable obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
• While GVC generally improves clinical and neuropsychological status, its impact on personality traits remains understudied.
• This study investigates personality changes one year post-GVC in OCD patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess personality trait modifications following gamma ventral capsulotomy (GVC) in patients with intractable obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
• To compare personality changes between treatment responders and non-responders.
• To identify personality predictors of clinical improvement and functioning.

Main Methods:

• Personality assessment using the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO PI-R) and Cloninger's Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI).
• Evaluated 14 intractable OCD patients before and one year after GVC.
• Utilized multiple linear regression to predict clinical and functional outcomes.

Main Results:

• No adverse personality effects were observed post-GVC.
• Treatment responders showed reduced neuroticism and increased extraversion (p=0.043).
• Increased novelty seeking and self-directedness, alongside decreased persistence and cooperativeness, predicted symptom improvement and better functioning.

Conclusions:

• Personality changes after GVC generally trend towards those seen in the nonclinical population.
• The observed personality shifts do not raise safety concerns for OCD patients.
• GVC appears to be a safe neurosurgical intervention with potentially beneficial personality modifications.