William Atkins
Monday, 21 July 2008 04:36
Science -
Health
Page 2 of 3
One of the problems with OCD patients is a condition called “behavioral flexibility,” or the reduced cognitive ability of certain parts of the brain, specifically the orbitofrontal cortex, to function normally.
Since OCD is thought to be hereditary, volunteers for this study were recruited from people with OCD, family members of OCD patients, and people with no history of OCD.
Specifically, fourteen people with OCD were selected as subjects, along with twelve people who were immediate relatives of OCD patients and fourteen people with no known history of OCD in themselves and their family members.
The researchers asked each patient to choose between pictures on two screens placed next to each other. One picture was randomly selected as the “target.”
The target picture was then changed back-and-forth between the two screens. The subject was asked to choose between the two pictures in order to find out which one (by trial and error) was the target picture.
They pressed a button for their answer and the researchers told them if they were right or wrong. After getting the answer correct several times, the “target” picture was changed, and the subject had to start over again to find the target.
The activity was specifically chosen by the researchers as a way to identify “behavioral flexibility" in OCD patients.
See what the scientists concluded on the next page.
