“School of Cognitive Sciences”
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| Paper IPM / Cognitive Sciences / 18122 |
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Introduction: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a debilitating disorder that results in tremendous personal and social burdens. It is closely associated with depression and anxiety disorders, with many patients experiencing treatment resistance. Neuropsychological studies indicate that individuals with OCD have cognitive deficits linked to the frontal lobe and its associated frontal-subcortical structures. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has shown promise in alleviating symptoms and improving cognitive function across various psychiatric disorders. This study investigated the impact of intensified 3-mA tDCS of the right inferior frontal cortex on symptoms severity and cognitive functions in individuals with OCD.
Method: Forty OCD patients were randomly divided into active tDCS (n=20) and sham tDCS (n=20) groups. Participants underwent 20 sessions of 20-minute stimulation at 3 mA, administered twice daily with 20-minute intervals between sessions. Anodal and cathodal electrodes were positioned over the right inferior frontal and left frontopolar cortices, respectively. Cognitive functions, OCD symptoms, depression, and anxiety were assessed five times: before the intervention, after the intervention, and at 2-week, 4-week, and 3-month follow-ups.
Results: The findings indicated that, aside from response inhibition and cognitive flexibility, which remained unchanged, participants with OCD in both the active and sham groups exhibited moderate improvements in OCD symptoms and depressive states. A similar trend was observed in working memory and sustained attention, which remained stable through the three-month follow-up.
Conclusion: Given the lack of significant tDCS-specific effects, future research should further explore the placebo effects of this treatment. Targeting the right inferior frontal cortex with anodal and left frontopolar cortex with cathodal stimulation, may not be as promising as more established target regions in tDCS studies for OCD treatment.
Research Category and Technology and Methods
Translational Research: 9. Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS)
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