Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: A Pathology of Self-Confidence?

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Computational Psychiatry

Background:

• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a debilitating mental health condition.
• Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an emerging treatment for severe OCD.
• Patients often report significant psychological changes post-DBS.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying the self-confidence increase in OCD patients treated with DBS.
• To explain the observed changes using the framework of active inference.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of patient-reported outcomes following DBS targeting the ventral anterior limb of the internal capsule (vALIC).
• Application of active inference theory to model neurocognitive changes.

Main Results:

• A consistent and immediate increase in self-confidence was reported by OCD patients post-vALIC DBS.
• These self-confidence changes align with predictions from active inference models.

Conclusions:

• DBS of the vALIC in OCD patients induces significant improvements in self-confidence.
• Active inference provides a valuable neurocognitive framework for understanding these treatment-induced psychological shifts.