Neurodevelopmental Antecedents and Sensory Phenomena in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: A Systematic Review Supporting...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Developmental Psychology

Background:

• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) models predominantly use a top-down cognitive perspective.
• A bottom-up perspective integrating neurodevelopment and phenomenology is rarely explored.

Approach:

• Systematic review of empirical literature on sensory phenomena (SP) and neurodevelopmental antecedents of OCD.
• Searched PubMed/MEDLINE, PsycInfo, Cochrane Library, EMBASE up to March 31, 2022.
• Included studies on early risk factors, neuroimaging, neurological soft signs, and sensory responsivity.

Key Points:

• SP are highly prevalent in OCD patients compared to controls.
• OCD patients show increased early environmental adversities, sensorimotor alterations (neurological soft signs, sensory over-responsivity), and hypogyrification.
• Sensorimotor alterations and SP correlate with tic-related symptoms and poorer insight in OCD.

Conclusions:

• A bottom-up neurodevelopmental-phenomenological model for OCD is hypothesized.
• Altered corollary discharge and enhanced error detection may underlie SP and obsessions in OCD.
• This model may explain OCD's link to schizophrenia spectrum disorders and aid early risk identification.