Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 17, 2025
Exploring the Neural Correlates of Cognitive Reappraisal in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Using Task-based Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Published on: March 14, 2025
Altered model-based prediction error signaling in the lateral orbitofrontal cortex in patients with
Pritha Sen1, Kathrin Koch2, Benita Schmitz-Koep2
1School of Medicine and Health, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany; School of Medicine and Health, TUM-NIC Neuroimaging Center, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany; Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients show altered goal-directed decision-making with increased lateral orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) activity, linked to reduced symptoms and better cognition.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients exhibit heightened reliance on model-free decision-making strategies compared to healthy individuals.
- Neural underpinnings of simultaneous model-free and model-based decision-making deficits in OCD remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate neural signatures of model-free and model-based decision-making in OCD patients versus controls.
- Examine behavioral differences in decision-making strategies between OCD patients and healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- Utilized functional MRI (fMRI) with a two-step Markov decision-making task in 22 OCD patients and 22 matched controls.
- Employed hierarchical Bayesian modeling and Bayesian statistics to analyze decision-making behaviors and neural reward prediction errors.
- Analyzed neural data using Bayesian Multilevel Modeling (BML) and explored symptom/cognitive associations with Bayesian linear regression.
Main Results:
- Both OCD patients and controls predominantly used model-free strategies, but controls achieved more rewards and were less stochastic.
- OCD patients displayed significantly greater activation in the lateral orbitofrontal cortex (lateral OFC) for model-based reward prediction errors compared to controls.
- No significant differences in model-free reward prediction error processing were observed between groups; increased lateral OFC activity correlated with reduced obsessive symptoms and improved cognitive function.
Conclusions:
- Findings suggest OCD involves an altered goal-directed system, evidenced by heightened lateral OFC activation during goal-directed behavior.
- Increased lateral OFC hyperactivity in OCD may represent compensatory mechanisms, correlating with symptom reduction and cognitive enhancement.
- The lateral OFC emerges as a potential therapeutic target for interventions in obsessive-compulsive disorder.
