Functional and Structural Neural Changes in Obsessive-compulsive Disorder after Pharmacotherapy.
1Firat University, School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Elazig, Turkey.
Current Neuropharmacology
|June 14, 2018
Summary
Neuroimaging reveals cortico-subcortical circuit involvement in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Drug treatments may induce neuroplasticity, but their direct anti-obsessional effects require further study.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) significantly impacts quality of life, characterized by repetitive thoughts and behaviors.
- The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders Fifth Edition (DSM 5) now classifies OCD in a distinct category.
- Neuroimaging studies are crucial for understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of OCD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review current neuroanatomical and neurochemical findings in OCD.
- To examine the effects of anti-obsessional drugs on structural and functional neuroimaging in OCD patients.
Main Methods:
- Review of neuroimaging investigations over the last 25 years.
- Analysis of studies on cortico-subcortical circuits in OCD.
- Evaluation of pharmacotherapy's impact on brain structure and function.
Main Results:
- Evidence suggests specific cortico-subcortical circuits are implicated in OCD symptomatology.
- Neuroimaging studies highlight key findings in OCD pathophysiology.
- Pharmacological treatments appear to influence brain structure and function in OCD.
Conclusions:
- Dysfunction within cortico-subcortical circuits is implicated in OCD.
- The brain in individuals with OCD exhibits a tendency towards neuroplasticity in response to treatment.
- Further research is needed to differentiate drug effects from disorder improvement in OCD pharmacotherapy.
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