title: Prefrontal cortex activation during neuropsychological tasks might predict response to pharmacotherapy in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We investigated oxyhemoglobin change in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) who showed different responses to pharmacotherapy during neuropsychological tasks with near-infrared spectroscopy.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 42 patients with OCD (mean age: 35.6±9.6 years, 14 men, 28 women) and healthy control subjects (mean age: 35.4±9.7 years, 13 men, 29 women) were selected. Patients with OCD were divided into three groups (responders to selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), responders to SSRIs with antipsychotics, and nonresponders to SSRIs and SSRIs with antipsychotics) based on pharmacological response. We investigated oxyhemoglobin change in the PFC of subjects during Stroop tasks and a verbal fluency test with near-infrared spectroscopy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Responders to SSRIs showed smaller activation compared to control subjects during the Stroop incongruent task and verbal fluency test, but not during the Stroop congruent task. In contrast, responders to SSRIs with antipsychotics showed smaller activation compared to control subjects during all three tasks.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that activation of the PFC during Stroop tasks might predict responses to pharmacotherapy of patients with OCD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Tokushima University Hospital.
authors.forename: Tomoya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takeda
authors.affiliation: Department of Support for Students with Special Needs, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University Graduate School.
authors.forename: Satsuki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sumitani
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Tokushima University Hospital.
authors.forename: Sayo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hamatani
authors.affiliation: Taoka Higashi Hospital, Tokushima.
authors.forename: Yosuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yokose
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Ibogawa Hospital, Tatsuno.
authors.forename: Megumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shikata
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Tetsuro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohmori
keywords: Stroop task; near-infrared spectroscopy; obsessive–compulsive disorder; pharmacotherapy; verbal fluency test