The UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute study involved 62 adults: 12 with OCD who had prominent compulsive hoarding behaviors, 33 with OCD who had mild or no symptoms of hoarding, and 17 control subjects who had no OCD symptoms. The researchers used positron emission tomography (PET) to measure brain glucose metabolism, a marker of regional brain activity, in each subject and compared the results.
Upcoming studies at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute will use both PET and magnetic resonance imaging scanning to look for structural and functional abnormalities in the brains of subjects with compulsive hoarding and other types of OCD as the team seeks to further refine and understand these differences. The research team also will examine the effectiveness of newer medications that better address the unique brain activity found in subjects with compulsive hoarding behaviors.
More information about ongoing and future research at the OCD Research Program is available at (310) 794-7305.
Funding for the study was provided by grants and awards from the National Institute of Mental Health, the Obsessive-Compulsive Foundation, the National Alliance for Research in Schizophrenia and Depression, the Department of Energy, and a private donor.
Other members of the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute research team included Dr. Arthur L. Brody, Karron M. Maidment, Erlyn C. Smith, Narineh Zohrabi, Elyse Katz, Stephanie K. Baker and Dr. Lewis R. Baxter Jr.
The OCD Research Program at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute conducts research on functional brain imaging, medication treatment, cognitive-behavioral therapy, neuropsychological deficits, genetics, and functional outcome of OCD, major depressive disorder, and OCD Spectrum Disorders such as body dysmorphic disorder and Tourette's syndrome.
The UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute is an interdisciplinary research and education institute devoted to the understanding of complex human behavior, including the genetic, biological, behavioral and sociocultural underpinnings of normal behavior, and the causes and consequences of neuropsychiatric disorders.
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