title: REDUCED DISGUST PROPENSITY IS ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVEMENT IN CONTAMINATION/WASHING SYMPTOMS IN OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Disgust is a well-established phenomenon with known neurobiological correlates. However, it remains unclear how or whether disgust changes with clinical treatment, because few longitudinal studies have tracked the association of disgust vulnerability and clinical symptoms in patient populations.
  
  
  METHODS
  We assessed disgust propensity and symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in 134 patients receiving intensive residential treatment for OCD. Using linear regression with adjustment for age, sex, and depression severity, we tested the association between change in disgust propensity and change in OCD symptoms from admission to discharge.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Change in disgust propensity was significantly associated with improvement in contamination/washing symptoms (β = 0.25 [95% confidence interval: 0.11-0.39];P= .001). No significant association was found between change in disgust propensity and change in other OCD symptom dimensions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In patients with OCD undergoing intensive residential treatment, disgust propensity appears to improve in parallel with contamination/washing symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Biological Psychiatry Laboratory, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA.
authors.forename: Alison J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Athey
authors.affiliation: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Institute, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA ; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Jason A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Elias
authors.affiliation: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Institute, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA.
authors.forename: Jesse M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Crosby
authors.affiliation: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Institute, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA ; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Jenike
authors.affiliation: Biological Psychiatry Laboratory, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA ; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Harrison G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Pope
authors.affiliation: Biological Psychiatry Laboratory, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA ; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: James I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Hudson
authors.affiliation: Biological Psychiatry Laboratory, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA ; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Institute, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA ; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Brian P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Brennan
keywords: OCD; contamination; disgust; obsessive-compulsive disorder