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Related Concept Videos

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder01:28

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

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Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition characterized by recurrent obsessions, compulsions, or both, which consume significant time and interfere with daily functioning. Obsessions involve persistent, intrusive, and unwanted thoughts, images, or urges that evoke anxiety. Common examples include irrational fears of contamination or harm. Compulsions are repetitive behaviors or mental acts performed to reduce the anxiety caused by obsessions. For instance, individuals...
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Personality Disorders: Dependent and Obsessive-Compulsive01:24

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Dependent personality disorder and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder are two separate psychological conditions that influence behavior, relationships, and overall life functioning. Though both involve maladaptive behaviors, their core characteristics and motivations differ significantly.
 Dependent Personality Disorder
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Anxiety: Overview01:18

Anxiety: Overview

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Anxiety is a common mental disorder featuring excessive worry, fear, and apprehension, significantly affecting daily life. People with anxiety disorders experience persistent and intense anxiety, interrupting their everyday functioning.
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Panic Disorder01:27

Panic Disorder

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Panic disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized by recurrent and sudden minutes-long episodes of intense fear, known as panic attacks. These attacks may feel like heart attacks and often happen without warning or a specific cause. They can include symptoms such as rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, chest pain, trembling, sweating, dizziness, and a sense of helplessness. During a panic attack, individuals may feel as though they are experiencing a heart attack or are in a...
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Depressive Disorders: Etiology01:27

Depressive Disorders: Etiology

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Depressive disorders result from a complex interplay of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors, each contributing uniquely to the development and persistence of the condition. Understanding these factors provides critical insight into the multifaceted nature of depression.
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Operant Conditioning Intervention01:24

Operant Conditioning Intervention

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Operant conditioning serves as a foundational principle in therapeutic interventions aimed at modifying maladaptive behaviors. Central to this approach is the notion that behaviors, both adaptive and maladaptive, are learned through reinforcement. By analyzing the environmental factors that reinforce problematic behaviors, clinicians can design interventions to weaken these reinforcements and replace maladaptive behaviors with healthier alternatives.
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Updated: Nov 15, 2025

Exploring the Neural Correlates of Cognitive Reappraisal in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Using Task-based Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
09:14

Exploring the Neural Correlates of Cognitive Reappraisal in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Using Task-based Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Published on: March 14, 2025

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Executive Functioning and Clinical Variables in Patients with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

Inmaculada Concepción Martínez-Esparza1, Pablo J Olivares-Olivares1, Ángel Rosa-Alcázar2

  • 1Department of Personality, Assessment & Psychological Treatment, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain.

Brain Sciences
|March 6, 2021
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) show deficits in cognitive flexibility, inhibition, and working memory compared to controls. These executive function impairments may be linked to OCD severity and comorbid conditions.

Keywords:
cognitive flexibilityexecutive functioninhibitionobsessive–compulsive disorderworking memory

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Psychology

Background:

  • Executive functions, including cognitive flexibility, response inhibition, and working memory, are crucial for behavioral control.
  • Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by impairments in these executive functions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate executive function differences between individuals with OCD and healthy controls.
  • To explore the influence of symptom severity, comorbidities, and treatment on these cognitive functions.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 62 participants (32 with OCD, 32 controls) aged 17-56 years underwent computerized cognitive tests.
  • Cognitive flexibility, inhibition, and visuospatial/verbal working memory were assessed.
  • Symptom severity, anxiety, depression, and obsessive beliefs were evaluated.

Main Results:

  • The OCD group exhibited poorer performance in cognitive flexibility, inhibition, and visuospatial working memory compared to controls.
  • Anxiety, obsessive beliefs, and comorbidity negatively impacted inhibition and working memory.
  • Pharmacotherapy and OCD symptom severity affected verbal working memory.

Conclusions:

  • Deficits in cognitive flexibility, inhibition, and visuospatial working memory may represent endophenotypes of OCD.
  • OCD symptom severity, comorbidities, anxiety, and obsessive beliefs significantly influence cognitive performance.