Is age at symptom onset associated with severity of memory impairment in adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder?
OBJECTIVE
Age at onset is a potentially important marker for neurobiological features of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). This study examined the relationship between age at symptom onset and memory impairment in adults with OCD.


METHODS
The authors used the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test and the California Verbal Learning Test to compare memory functioning of 37 adult OCD patients with self-reported childhood onset of symptoms (onset at less than 18 years of age) with that of 31 patients with adult-onset symptoms.


RESULTS
No differences were found between the two groups on any of the verbal and nonverbal memory measures.


CONCLUSIONS
Self-reported age at symptom onset is not associated with memory performance in adult patients with OCD according to tests previously found to be sensitive to frontal-striatal system dysfunction and impairment in OCD. Such dysfunction appears to be a consistent feature of OCD in adults, regardless of age at initial symptom onset.
Henin
A
A
Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02129-2060, USA.
Savage
C R
CR
Rauch
S L
SL
Deckersbach
T
T
Wilhelm
S
S
Baer
L
L
Otto
M W
MW
Jenike
M A
MA
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D017668:Age of Onset; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index