The metacontrol hypothesis as diagnostic framework of OCD and ADHD: A dimensional approach based on shared...

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are multi-faceted neuropsychiatric conditions that in many aspects appear to be each other's antipodes. We suggest a dimensional approach, according to which these partially opposing disorders fall onto a continuum that reflects variability regarding alterations of cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) circuits and of the processing of neural noise during cognition. By using theoretical accounts of human cognitive metacontrol, we develop a framework according to which OCD can be characterized by a chronic bias towards exaggerated cognitive persistence, equivalent to a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)-which facilitates perseverative behaviour but impairs mental flexibility. In contrast, ADHD is characterized by a chronic bias towards inflated cognitive flexibility, equivalent to a low SNR-which increases behavioural variability but impairs the focusing on one goal and on relevant information. We argue that, when pharmacology is not feasible, novel treatments of these disorders may involve methods to manipulate the signal-to-noise ratio via non-invasive brain stimulation techniques, in order to normalize the situational imbalance between cognitive persistence and cognitive flexibility.