Contingent negative variation in obsessional-compulsive patients

Obsessional-compulsive disorder has been conceptualised in terms of overattention to irrelevant details. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether this feature would be reflected in the 'early' CNV component. Sixteen obsessional patients and matched controls were tested in a motor-set CNV paradigm with a 5 sec interval between S1 and S2. Patients exhibited a higher amplitude of the 'late' component and male patients prolonged negativity during the first half of trials. In addition, patients yielded lower levels of heart-period than controls. Results are accounted for better by the assumption of uncertainty and doubt in patients compared with controls.