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The neuropsychological profile of a subclinical obsessive-compulsive sample

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 March 2009

MYUNG-SUN KIM ,
KYOUNG-MI JANG  and
BIT-NA KIM
MYUNG-SUN KIM*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Sungshin Women’s University, Seoul, Korea Institute of Basic Science, Brain-Cognition Lab, Sungshin Women’s University, Seoul, Korea
KYOUNG-MI JANG
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Sungshin Women’s University, Seoul, Korea
BIT-NA KIM
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Sungshin Women’s University, Seoul, Korea
*
*Correspondence and reprint requests to: Myung-Sun Kim, Ph.D, Sungshin Women’s University, Department of Psychology, Dongsun 3ga, Sungbuk, Seoul, Korea. E-mail: [email protected].
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Abstract

We investigated the neuropsychological profile of subjects in a subclinical obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) sample. Psychometrically defined subclinical obsessive-compulsive (n = 21) and control (n = 22) subjects were examined. Comprehensive neuropsychological tests evaluating verbal/nonverbal memory, attention, and executive function were administered. The subclinical obsessive-compulsive group showed poorer performances on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), F(1, 41) = 13.80, p < .001, and Trail-Making Test (TMT), F(1, 41) = 5.48, p < .05, compared with the control group. The subclinical obsessive-compulsive group showed higher rates of total errors, perseverative errors, and perseverative responses. In addition, the subclinical obsessive-compulsive group committed a greater number of errors in the TMT. However, the groups showed no performance differences in the TMT after controlling for the effects of depression and anxiety, F(1, 39) = 0.11, p = .739. These results suggest that subclinical obsessive-compulsives seemed to display deficits in executive functioning. This neuropsychological profile is consistent with current theories proposing that executive dysfunction may serve as the pathophysiological mechanism underlying the development of obsessive-compulsive disorder. (JINS, 2009, 15, 286–290.)

Keywords

Executive dysfunctionNeuropsychological testsPerseverative responsesSubclinical obsessive-compulsiveTrail-Making TestWisconsin Card Sorting Test
Type
Brief Communications
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , Volume 15 , Issue 2 , March 2009 , pp. 286 - 290
Copyright
Copyright © INS 2009

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