A Comparison of Neurocognitive Functions in Adults Diagnosed With Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Healthy Volunteers

Abstract

The aim of the study was to evaluation of neuropsychological areas to determine whether or not there were cognitive differences and whether the impairment was in a specific form in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients compared to healthy control subjects. The sample comprised 30 patients aged 16-65 years diagnosed with OCD, and a control group of 30 age and gender-matched healthy volunteers. According to the DSM diagnostic criteria, various neurocognitive tests were applied to the patients diagnosed with OCD. A statistically significant difference was determined between the two groups in respect of the WCST scores. No statistically significant difference was determined between the groups in respect of the Forward, Reverse, or total Digit Span Test values. WAIS-R; The results of this test were determined as a mean of 43.1 ± 15.4 in the OCD group and 56.2 ± 6.8 in the control group, and the difference between the groups was statistically significant. When the groups were examined in terms of interference errors, the value of 2.2 ± 2.8 in the OCD group was determined to be statistically significantly greater than the 0.8 ± 0.8 value of the control group. A statistically significant difference was determined between the groups in respect of the mean words counted with perseverance by the OCD group (1.7 ± 2.1) and the control group (0.6 ± 0.8). It can be said that combining cognitive function impairments specific to OCD with neuroimaging studies would be useful in understanding OCD symptoms in more detail. Thus, new treatment strategies could be developed.