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Neuropsychological study of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder and their parents in China: searching for potential endophenotypes

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Abstract

Objective

The existence of neuropsychological deficits has been implicated in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), particularly memory, attention, and executive functions. However, few studies have focused on neuropsychological deficits in the relatives of OCD patients. The aim of this study was to investigate cognitive deficits in OCD patients and their parents.

Methods

Forty patients with OCD, 48 parents of these patients, and 87 healthy controls completed a neuropsychological testing battery.

Results

Both OCD patients and their parents showed impairments in delayed verbal memory and delayed visual memory. Furthermore, they performed worse than healthy controls in problem-solving ability.

Conclusion

Our study demonstrated familial aggregation of delayed memory deficits and impaired problem-solving ability, which may be the potential neuropsychological endophenotypes of hereditary susceptibility to OCD.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China

    Bin Li, Tao Li & Yan-Chun Yang

  2. Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200030, China

    Jin-Hua Sun

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  1. Bin Li
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  2. Jin-Hua Sun
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  3. Tao Li
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  4. Yan-Chun Yang
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Li, B., Sun, JH., Li, T. et al. Neuropsychological study of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder and their parents in China: searching for potential endophenotypes. Neurosci. Bull. 28, 475–482 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12264-012-1262-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12264-012-1262-2

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