[Neuroactivation of the Tower of Hanoi in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder and healthy volunteers].
The aim of the study was to evaluate changes in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients and healthy controls during performance of Tower of Hanoi (TOH) test (cognitive task).


METHODS
We compared TOH test performance in 30 OCD patients and 30 individually matched healthy volunteers. Intelligence and anxiety measurements were taken into account for all participants. Within the patient group, factors such as duration and severity of symptoms and low mood were considered. rCBF was estimated through the uptake of 99mTc-hexamethylpropylamine-oxime (HMPAO) on single photon emission computerised tomography (SPECT). Regional values were quantified as ratios of cortical blood flow.


RESULTS
OCD patients and volunteers differed significantly in terms of subjective anxiety during procedures. TOH test performance was significantly impaired in OCD patients when compared with matched controls. 2-tailed t tests for repeated measures suggested that there were overall significant differences (p = 0.039) between both groups (OCD patients and controls) confined to left caudate activation. There was increased activity after activation in control subjects, but not in OCD patients. No differences in other regions were observed.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest a modification of the activating systems of basal ganglia functions in OCD compared with normal subjects.
Fernández
A
A
Servicio de Medicina Nuclear. Ciutat Sanitària i Universitària de Bellvitge. L'Hospitalet de Llobregat. Barcelona. Spain.
Pino Alonso
M
M
Mataix-Cols
D
D
Roca
M
M
Vallejo
J
J
Puchal
R
R
Menchón
J M
JM
Martín-Comín
J
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019690:Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019690:Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime