1,720,967 research outputs found
An Investigation of the Experience of Control Through the Sense of Agency in People with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Review and Meta-Analysis
No full textChildhood obsessive-compulsive disorder, epigenetics, and heterochrony: An evolutionary and developmental approach
No full textChildhood obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) stems from a bunch of restricted and repetitive behaviors, which are part of normal behavioral repertoire up to the age of 7. The persistence of compulsive-like behaviors after that age is often associated with unique comorbidity patterns, which are age-at-onset dependent and reflect different developmental stages. In particular, OCD synchronically co-occurs with a broad constellation of neurodevelopmental disorders, whereas diachronically it is related to an increased risk of major adult psychoses. Moreover, OCD is associated with trait-like sensory phenomena, suggesting a common disrupted sensorimotor grounding. The present study is aimed at exploring the hypothesis that this specific temporal and comorbidity OCD profile may be due to a developmental heterochronic mechanism of delay in attenuation of ontogenetically early behavioral patterns. The developmental shift of highly evolutionarily conserved behavioral phenotypes might be regulated by epigenetic changes induced by different conditions of sensory unbalance. This evolutionary and developmental model allows capturing childhood OCD in light of the ultimate causes of ritual behavior throughout phylogeny, namely its "homeostatic"function over conditions of unpredictability. Moreover, it may have important clinical implications, as OCD symptoms could represent putative biomarkers of early divergent developmental trajectories, with a pathoplastic effect on course and outcome
The Role of Shame in Schizophrenia Delusion: The Interplay Between Cognitive-Perceptual and Emotional Traits
No full textThrough a strictly dimensional approach, the present study aimed at evaluating the interplay between cognitive-perceptual disturbances and emotional dispositions, particularly shame proneness, in schizophrenia delusion. One hundred one outpatients with schizophrenia were administered the Peters et al. Delusions Inventory, the Referential Thinking Scale (REF), the Magical Ideation Scale (MIS), the Perceptual Aberration Scale (PAS), the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule and the Experiences of Shame Scale (ESS). The severity of delusional ideation was positively related to all the cognitive-perceptual scales (REF, MIS, and PAS) and to shame proneness (ESS). Referential thinking (REF) emerged as the strongest predictor of delusion severity. The experience of shame played a mediation role in the relationship between cognitive-perceptual traits and delusional severity. These data suggest that severity delusion in schizophrenia depends, at least in part, on a complex interplay between cognitive-perceptual disturbances and experiences of shame
Disembodiment and Language in Schizophrenia: An Integrated Psychopathological and Evolutionary Perspective
No full textDifferent hypotheses have flourished to explain the evolutionary paradox of schizophrenia. In this contribution, we sought to illustrate how, in the schizophrenia spectrum, the concept of embodiment may underpin the phylogenetic and developmental pathways linking sensorimotor processes, the origin of human language, and the construction of a basic sense of the self. In particular, according to an embodied model of language, we suggest that the reuse of basic sensorimotor loops for language, while enabling the development of fully symbolic thought, has pushed the human brain close to the threshold of a severe disruption of self-embodiment processes, which are at the core of schizophrenia psychopathology. We adopted an inter-disciplinary approach (psychopathology, neuroscience, developmental biology) within an evolutionary framework, to gain an integrated, multi-perspectival model on the origin of schizophrenia vulnerability. A maladaptive over-expression of evolutionary-developmental trajectories toward language at the expense of embodiment processes would have led to the evolutionary "trade-off" of a hyper-symbolic activity to the detriment of a disembodied self. Therefore, schizophrenia psychopathology might be the cost of long-term co-evolutive interactions between brain and language
A clinical investigation of psychotic vulnerability in early-onset Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder through Cognitive-Perceptive basic symptoms
No full textChildhood-onset Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) shows distinct comorbidity patterns and developmental pathways, as well as an increased risk of psychosis with respect to adult-onset forms. Nevertheless, little is known about the prodromal symptoms of psychosis in children and adolescents with a primary diagnosis of OCD. The present study was aimed at evaluating the occurrence of Cognitive-Perceptual basic symptoms (COPER) and high- risk criterion Cognitive Disturbances (COGDIS) in pediatric and adults OCD patients, verifying if they might vary according to the age of onset of OCD. The study included 90 outpatients with a primary diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder. The study sample was collapsed into three groups according to the age at onset: 1) very early onset group (< 10 years); 2) early onset group (11-18 years); 3) adult-onset group (> 18 years). All patients were administered the Yale-Brown Obsessive- Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) and its Child version (CY-BOCS), the Schizophrenia Proneness Instrument-Adult (SPIA) and its Child and Adolescent version (SPI-CY) and the Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale (SOFAS). COPER and COGDIS symptoms were positively associated with OCD severity and detectable, respectively, in 28.9 and 26.7% of our study sample. The very early onset group significantly had higher COPER and COGDIS symptoms than the adult-onset group. Our data suggest that COPER and COGDIS symptoms are frequent in obsessive patients, in particular in those with earlier onset; therefore, their detection in childhood-onset OCD may represent an early and specific indicator of psychotic vulnerability
Anomalous Self-Experiences are predictive of social dysfunction in people with schizophrenia
No full textPsychotic Vulnerability and its Associations with Clinical Characteristics in Adolescents with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
No full textCompared to peers, children and adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are at increased risk of developing psychotic disorders. Yet very few studies have examined early indicators of psychosis in pediatric OCD. In the present study, 52 youth with a primary diagnosis of OCD (Mage = 15.66 [SD = 2.33], 59.6% girls) were interviewed using the Schizophrenia Proneness Instrument Child and Adolescent version (SPI-CY), which is a comprehensive clinical interview assessing both Cognitive–Perceptual basic symptoms (COPER) and high-risk criterion Cognitive Disturbances (COGDIS). Associations between COPER/COGDIS symptoms and demographic and clinical characteristics were examined. Findings showed that COPER or COGDIS symptoms were present in 44% of participants, with no significant difference between girls and boys. Psychotic vulnerability was associated with an earlier age of OCD onset, greater OCD severity, poorer insight, and more contamination/cleaning symptoms. Psychotic vulnerability was also strongly associated with worse psychosocial functioning. Findings suggest that early indicators of psychosis are frequent in pediatric OCD and associated with more severe OCD and poorer functioning. Research examining how psychotic vulnerability is associated with short- and long-term outcomes for youth with OCD is needed
The Relationship between Childhood Trauma Experiences and Psychotic Vulnerability in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: An Italian Cross-Sectional Study
No full textPeople with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) are at increased risk of developing psychotic disorders; yet little is known about specific clinical features which might hint at this vulnerability. The present study was aimed at elucidating the pathophysiological mechanism linking OCD to psychosis through the investigation of childhood trauma experiences in adolescents and adults with OCD. One hundred outpatients, aged between 12 and 65 years old, were administered the Yale–Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) and its Child version (CY-BOCS), as well as the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ); Cognitive–Perceptual basic symptoms (COPER) and high-risk criterion Cognitive Disturbances (COGDIS) were assessed in the study sample. Greater childhood trauma experiences were found to predict psychotic vulnerability (p = 0.018), as well as more severe OCD symptoms (p = 0.010) and an earlier age of OCD onset (p = 0.050). Participants with psychotic vulnerability reported higher scores on childhood trauma experiences (p = 0.02), specifically in the emotional neglect domain (p = 0.01). In turn, emotional neglect and psychotic vulnerability were found higher in the pediatric group than in the adult group (p = 0.01). Our findings suggest that childhood trauma in people with OCD may represent an indicator of psychotic vulnerability, especially in those with an earlier OCD onset. Research on the pathogenic pathways linking trauma, OCD, and psychosis is needed
The association between childhood trauma and motor structure in obsessive-compulsive rituals: An ethological and evolutionary approach.
No full textObjective: Ethological models have highlighted a specific motor structure of compulsions in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), based on the rigid repetitions of acts, and with the adaptive significance of facing unpredictable conditions. Such an evolutionary mechanism might explain the robust association between childhood traumatic experiences (CTEs) and OCD. However, a relationship between CTEs and the motor structure of compulsions has not been investigated yet. The first objective of the study was to confirm a specific motor structure of OCD compulsions with respect to control behaviors; the second objective was to assess a possible association between the motor structure of compulsions and CTEs severity. Method: Thirty-two OCD outpatients (13 female, M-age = 44.50 years, SE = 19.71) and 27 healthy controls (10 female, M-age = 37.62 years, SE = 16.20), matched for sex and age, provided a videotape of their compulsions and corresponding ordinary acts, respectively. Behavior was scored with the software "Observer." Participants were administered the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. A dependent t test was used to compare the motor structure of behavior between the groups; Pearson's correlations to investigate associations between motor parameters and CTEs. Results: Compulsions showed a specific motor structure due to the repetition of functional and nonfunctional acts. CTEs severity was especially associated with the repetition of functional acts, independently from OCD severity. Conclusion: Our findings, in confirming a peculiar motor structure for OCD compulsions, hint for the first time at a link between CTEs and compulsive repetition of functional acts, which would represent a plastic developmental response to CTEs unpredictability
Exploring Visuo-Tactile Temporal Binding Window Plasticity in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
No full textBackground: Multisensory integration (MSI) enables the brain to combine sensory inputs by defining spatial and temporal boundaries that determine whether stimuli originate from the same event. Among these, the temporal binding window (TBW) specifically refers to the temporal range within which stimuli are perceived as simultaneous and integrated. In adulthood, TBW can be narrowed through short-term perceptual training. Altered TBW plasticity has been linked to neuropsychiatric conditions, where atypical prior weighting distorts sensory integration. This study investigates obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), a condition marked by heightened uncertainty and excessive reliance on real-time sensory input, potentially leading to wider MSI temporal boundaries and greater sensitivity to contingent sensory experiences. Methods: In the current study, the TBW plasticity of 31 patients with OCD and 34 healthy control participants was studied by asking them to perform a simultaneity judgment task before and after a perceptual training session designed to narrow their TBW. Results: Results showed a larger TBW with an abnormal tactile leading dominance in patients with OCD before the training session. Furthermore, patients with OCD showed a higher training gain than control participants. Conclusions: These findings suggest altered TBW plasticity in OCD, potentially linked to difficulties in using past experiences as a stable source of information and an exaggerated reliance on real-time sensory input. Understanding these MSI alterations may offer new insights into the sensory mechanisms that underlie OCD and inform future research on sensory-based interventions
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