Precision Analytic Research Methods in OCD
Dissecting Neurocognitive Components of Compulsivity Using Computational Modeling and EEG
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
100 participants
Jul 9, 2025
INTERVENTIONAL
Conditions
Summary
Psychiatric disorders characterized by compulsivity, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), result in considerable functional impairment and many individuals do not respond to gold-standard treatments. Compulsivity has long been thought to occur due to exaggerated habits and reduced goal-directed control, although more recently, this conceptualization of compulsivity as an imbalance of two cognitive systems has been challenged as overly narrow. This study will recruit 100 individuals (50 adults diagnosed with OCD, 50 healthy controls) and leverage the measurement precision offered by theory-driven computational modeling in combination with electroencephalogram (EEG) to go beyond this binary theory of compulsivity, revealing how more complex interactions of neurocognitive subcomponents contribute to compulsivity-information that could ultimately lead to improved treatment personalization and clinical outcomes.
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria5
- Participants must be:
- between the ages 18-55 years old
- English-speaking
- right-handed
- able to provide consent
Exclusion Criteria10
- Individuals diagnosed with OCD will be excluded if:
- they meet diagnostic criteria for certain other psychiatric disorders
- are taking psychiatric medication or have received behavioral treatment for OCD within a certain timeframe
- if it is unsafe for them to participate in research
- Healthy control participants will be excluded if:
- they have a current psychiatric disorder
- a lifetime history of certain psychiatric disorders
- are taking psychiatric medication or have in the past
- have a parent or sibling who has been diagnosed with OCD
- if it is unsafe for them to participate in research
Interventions
Exposure and response prevention (EX/RP) is the gold-standard behavioral treatment for OCD. It involves confronting the content of obsessions (distressing thoughts, images, or impulses) and resisting the urge to engage in compulsions (observable behaviors or mental acts that are repeated to reduce the anxiety/distress associated with compulsions).
Locations(1)
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NCT07011901