Affiliations: Department of Psychology, Brain, Behavior &
Cognition Program, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Wayne M. Dinn, 42 Washington
Terrace, Whitman, MA 02382, USA. Tel.: +1 781 447 6058; E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: We administered neuropsychological measures considered sensitive to
prefrontal dysfunction (both orbitofrontal and dorsolateral prefrontal
neocortex) to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients and control
subjects. OCD subjects exhibited performance deficits, in comparison to
community controls, on three measures sensitive to orbitofrontal neocortex
dysfunction. Contrary to expectation, OCD patients also exhibited performance
deficits on measures sensitive to dorsolateral prefrontal neocortex
dysfunction. However, distinct neurocognitive profiles emerged when we examined
the impact of comorbid schizotypal personality features on neuropsychological
test performance. Primary OCD patients displayed impaired performance on
measures sensitive to orbitofrontal dysfunction; however, they did not differ
from control subjects on tests of dorsolateral function. OCD subjects
presenting with schizotypal personality features performed poorly not only on
tests sensitive to orbitofrontal dysfunction, but also on tests sensitive to
dorsolateral dysfunction. Findings suggest that OCD can be subdivided into
clinical subtypes, and distinct prefrontal subsystems may be differentially
involved in these subtypes.
