TY - JOUR
T1 - Perseveration and not strategic deficits underlie delayed alternation impairment in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
AU - Moritz, Steffen
AU - Hottenrott, Birgit
AU - Randjbar, Sarah
AU - Klinge, Ruth
AU - Von Eckstaedt, Francesca Vitzthum
AU - Lincoln, Tania M.
AU - Jelinek, Lena
PY - 2009/11/30
Y1 - 2009/11/30
N2 - The claim that the prefrontal cortex, particularly its orbito-frontal part, is involved in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is based upon evidence from neuroimaging as well as behavioral studies. Studies have repeatedly suggested problems with delayed alternation learning in OCD, an executive dysfunction that presumably involves the orbito-frontal cortex. However, it is unclear whether such impairment stems from perseveration or strategic deficits as these aspects are intertwined in the original task. In the present study, 36 OCD and 16 healthy controls underwent a variant of the delayed alternation task involving three response options instead of two as in the original task. This modification enabled us to separate perseveration errors (i.e., the participant incorrectly chooses the same response option as before) from shift errors (i.e., the decision is switched to an incorrect response alternative). We found that patients with OCD committed significantly more perseveration errors following previously valid response options, whereas perseveration for previously invalid responses and shift errors did not distinguish groups. Group differences were not accounted for by comorbid depression and may be linked to the pathogenesis of OCD.
AB - The claim that the prefrontal cortex, particularly its orbito-frontal part, is involved in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is based upon evidence from neuroimaging as well as behavioral studies. Studies have repeatedly suggested problems with delayed alternation learning in OCD, an executive dysfunction that presumably involves the orbito-frontal cortex. However, it is unclear whether such impairment stems from perseveration or strategic deficits as these aspects are intertwined in the original task. In the present study, 36 OCD and 16 healthy controls underwent a variant of the delayed alternation task involving three response options instead of two as in the original task. This modification enabled us to separate perseveration errors (i.e., the participant incorrectly chooses the same response option as before) from shift errors (i.e., the decision is switched to an incorrect response alternative). We found that patients with OCD committed significantly more perseveration errors following previously valid response options, whereas perseveration for previously invalid responses and shift errors did not distinguish groups. Group differences were not accounted for by comorbid depression and may be linked to the pathogenesis of OCD.
KW - Alternation learning
KW - Executive functioning
KW - Obsessive-compulsive disorder
KW - OCD
KW - Orbito-frontal cortex
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=70350029595&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.psychres.2008.09.003
DO - 10.1016/j.psychres.2008.09.003
M3 - Article
C2 - 19819560
AN - SCOPUS:70350029595
SN - 0165-1781
VL - 170
SP - 66
EP - 69
JO - Psychiatry Research
JF - Psychiatry Research
IS - 1
ER -