title: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder as a functional interhemispheric imbalance at the thalamic level.
abstract: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) involves failures in two main inhibitory processes, namely cognitive (obsessions) and behavioral (compulsions). Recent research has supported two cortical-subcortical pathways on OCD pathogenesis: (a) the frontostriatal loop (dorsolateral-caudate-striatum-thalamus) responsible for impairments of behavioral inhibition; (b) the orbitofrontal loop (orbitofrontal, medial prefrontal and cingulate) responsible for impairments with cognitive inhibitory processes. These failures in both cognitive and motor inhibitory systems may mediate several neuropsychological deficits in these patients, namely memory, attention, planning and decision making. But are those deficits related to specific hemispheric effects, namely functional imbalance between hemispheres? In this article we hypothesize that: (1) OCD patients have an inter-hemispheric functional imbalance, probably due to inadequate filtering at the thalamic level; (2) the restoration of inter-hemispheric balance, will be correlative to symptomatic improvement.
authors: Neuropsychophysiology Laboratory, CIPsi, School of Psychology (EPsi), Campus de Gualtar, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal.
authors: Óscar F
authors: ÓF
authors: Gonçalves
authors: Sandra
authors: S
authors: Carvalho
authors: Jorge
authors: J
authors: Leite
authors: Fernando
authors: F
authors: Pocinho
authors: João
authors: J
authors: Relvas
authors: Felipe
authors: F
authors: Fregni
mesh_terms: D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology; D004525:Efferent Pathways / Q000503:physiopathology; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013788:Thalamus / Q000473:pathology*