title: Neuropsychological performance in medicated vs. unmedicated patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
abstract: To date, there have been no formal investigations of neuropsychological performance in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) taking psychotropic medications. The purpose of this study was to determine whether medicated and unmedicated patients with OCD demonstrate differences in neuropsychological functioning. Fifty-two patients with a primary DSM-IV diagnosis of OCD participated in the study; 28 were taking serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs), and 24 were treatment-naïve (n=8) or had finished a washout period prior to their inclusion in other studies (n=16). The groups were well matched with regard to demographic and clinical variables, including symptom severity. Each group was administered a comprehensive neuropsychological battery to assess general intelligence, attention, verbal and non-verbal working memory, declarative and procedural learning, visuo-constructive skills, and executive functions. SRI-medicated did not differ from SRI-free patients on any neuropsychological measure. Benzodiazepines seemed to improve the patients' functioning on a semantic verbal fluency test. In addition, there were significant interactions between SRIs and benzodiazepines on the perseverative errors of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test and on reaction times. SRI-medicated patients with OCD are able to perform on cognitive functioning tests at a comparable level with that of SRI-free patients, and these results have positive implications for OCD patients who respond to SRIs. The interactions between SRIs and benzodiazepines and their effect on cognition in OCD are likely to be complex and deserve further study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Imperial College School of Medicine, Stress Self-Help Clinic, 303 North End Road, London W14 9NS, UK. d.mataix@ic.ac.uk
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mataix-Cols
authors.forename: Pino
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Alonso
authors.forename: Josep
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pifarré
authors.forename: Josep Manuel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Menchón
authors.forename: Julio
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vallejo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001569:Benzodiazepines; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D001569:Benzodiazepines; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors