TY - JOUR
T1 - Cognitive performance in children and adolescents at high-risk for obsessive-compulsive disorder
AU - Bernardes, Elisa Teixeira
AU - Saraiva, Leonardo Cardoso
AU - E Souza, Marina De Marco
AU - Hoexter, Marcelo Queiroz
AU - Chacon, Priscila
AU - Requena, Guaraci
AU - Miguel, Euripedes Constantino
AU - Shavitt, Roseli Gedanke
AU - Polanczyk, Guilherme Vanoni
AU - Cappi, Carolina
AU - Batistuzzo, Marcelo Camargo
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 The Author(s).
PY - 2020/7/20
Y1 - 2020/7/20
N2 - Background: Cognitive performance has been studied in adults with obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) and in adult relatives of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) Meanwhile, few studies have been conducted with children under the same conditions. This study compared the neurocognitive domains previously associated with dysfunction in OCD, especially visuoconstructive ability, visuospatial memory, executive functions, and intelligence, in children and adolescents at high risk (HR) for OCD (n = 18) and non-OCD controls (NOC) (n = 31). Methods: For the HR group, we considered the first-degree relatives of patients with OCD that present OCS, but do not meet diagnostic criteria for OCD. Psychiatric diagnosis was assessed by experienced clinicians using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV and OCS severity was measured by the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale. Neurocognitive assessment was performed with a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. Performance on the cognitive domains was compared between groups using Multivariate Analysis of Variance, whereas performance on the neuropsychological variables was compared between groups using independent t-tests in a cognitive subdomain analysis. Results: The cognitive domain analysis revealed a trend towards significance for impairments in the motor and processing speed domain (p = 0.019; F = 3.12) in the HR group. Moreover, the cognitive subdomain analysis identified a statistically significant underperformance in spatial working memory in the HR group when compared to the NOC group (p = 0.005; t = - 2.94), and a trend towards significance for impairments in non-verbal memory and visuoconstructive tasks in the HR group. Conclusions: Our results suggest impairments in spatial working memory and motor and processing speed in a non-clinical sample of HR participants. Considering the preliminary nature of our findings, further studies investigating these neurocognitive domains as potential predictors of pediatric OCD are warranted.
AB - Background: Cognitive performance has been studied in adults with obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) and in adult relatives of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) Meanwhile, few studies have been conducted with children under the same conditions. This study compared the neurocognitive domains previously associated with dysfunction in OCD, especially visuoconstructive ability, visuospatial memory, executive functions, and intelligence, in children and adolescents at high risk (HR) for OCD (n = 18) and non-OCD controls (NOC) (n = 31). Methods: For the HR group, we considered the first-degree relatives of patients with OCD that present OCS, but do not meet diagnostic criteria for OCD. Psychiatric diagnosis was assessed by experienced clinicians using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV and OCS severity was measured by the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale. Neurocognitive assessment was performed with a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. Performance on the cognitive domains was compared between groups using Multivariate Analysis of Variance, whereas performance on the neuropsychological variables was compared between groups using independent t-tests in a cognitive subdomain analysis. Results: The cognitive domain analysis revealed a trend towards significance for impairments in the motor and processing speed domain (p = 0.019; F = 3.12) in the HR group. Moreover, the cognitive subdomain analysis identified a statistically significant underperformance in spatial working memory in the HR group when compared to the NOC group (p = 0.005; t = - 2.94), and a trend towards significance for impairments in non-verbal memory and visuoconstructive tasks in the HR group. Conclusions: Our results suggest impairments in spatial working memory and motor and processing speed in a non-clinical sample of HR participants. Considering the preliminary nature of our findings, further studies investigating these neurocognitive domains as potential predictors of pediatric OCD are warranted.
KW - Cognitive functions
KW - First degree relatives
KW - High-risk
KW - Neuropsychological assessment
KW - Obsessive-compulsive disorder
KW - Obsessive-compulsive symptoms
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85088352043&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1186/s12888-020-02751-5
DO - 10.1186/s12888-020-02751-5
M3 - Article
C2 - 32690046
AN - SCOPUS:85088352043
SN - 1471-244X
VL - 20
JO - BMC Psychiatry
JF - BMC Psychiatry
IS - 1
M1 - 380
ER -