Relations Between Executive Functions and Different Symptomatic Dimensions in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Authors

  • Ana Cristina Pedron Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre; Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre
  • Ygor Arzeno Ferrão Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre; Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre
  • Léia Gonçalves Gurgel Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre; Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre
  • Caroline Tozzi Reppold Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre; Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-43272561201511

Abstract

There is no consensus in the literature as to neuropsychological functioning, the severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) and the definitions of the OCS dimensions. We conducted a cross-sectional study investigating the relationship between executive function and OCS severity in the various dimensions, according to the Dimensional Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale criteria. We evaluated 28 patients with OCS, using eight neuropsychological instruments to evaluate executive function. We found that OCS severity in the contamination/cleaning dimension correlates negatively with executive function, inhibitory control and attentional control. Severity in the hoarding dimension correlated positively with cognitive flexibility, visual processing and logical reasoning, whereas it correlated negatively with the capacity to develop efficient complex problem-solving strategies. There was also a positive correlation between severity in the symmetry/ordering dimension and attentional control. Our findings suggest that the profile of executive function in OCD is defined by the severity of the various OCS dimensions.

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Published

2015-08-01

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Pedron, A. C., Ferrão, Y. A., Gurgel, L. G., & Reppold, C. T. (2015). Relations Between Executive Functions and Different Symptomatic Dimensions in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder . Paidéia (Ribeirão Preto), 25(61), 229-239. https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-43272561201511