8/27/2023 0 Comments Intrusive obsessive thoughtsSelf-rated questionnaires of compulsive tendencies by both people with OCD and those in a healthy volunteer control group also correlated with glutamate in this region.įor the ACC, we found that that people’s proneness to habit (which is closely linked to compulsion) correlated with the glutamate/Gaba balance that we discovered. Importantly, the clinical severity of compulsive symptoms of OCD correlated with the glutamate levels we measured in the SMA. They also had a disrupted balance between these chemicals in the SMA. This means that they had very high levels of neural communication in the area, potentially making it hyperactive. Specifically, OCD patients had increased levels of glutamate and lower levels of Gaba in the ACC. We found an imbalance between glutamate and Gaba levels in a group of 31 patients with OCD in the frontal regions of the brain. The SMA is involved in the coordination of motor sequences and seems to have a role in the production of habits. Activity in the ACC changes in response to reward or punishment, guiding future decision-making. That’s because previous studies had already shown that these areas, involved in actions, are affected in OCD. We specifically looked at two brain regions toward the front of the brain called the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the supplementary motor area (SMA). This allowed us to detect and measure glutamate and Gaba levels separately in different brain regions. This helps scientists to measure what kind of chemicals exist there – and their concentration. This technique detects radio frequency electromagnetic signals produced by the atomic nuclei in molecules. To study glutamate and Gaba, we used a high-strength magnet (called 7-Tesla) to perform magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Imbalances in these chemicals can therefore make communications more or less difficult within neural circuits in the brain – potentially leading to symptoms such as compulsions and intrusive thoughts. While glutamate promotes communication between neurons, Gaba reduces or inhibits neural communication (calming the central nervous system and making us less inhibited). Glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid (Gaba) in certain brain regions. Scientists have suspected that this involves an imbalance between chemical messengers, or neurotransmitters, called To be able to develop more effective treatments, it is crucial that we understand the chemical basis of OCD in the brain. And at least eight weeks of sustained treatment is typically needed before any meaningful clinical improvement can be seen.Īviator Howard Hughes had crippling OCD. However, 50% of OCD patients don’t respond fully to SSRIs – meaning their symptoms are likely to continue to some extent. NHS-recommended treatments include cognitive behavioral therapy and antidepressant drugs called selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which boost the chemical serotonin in the brain. The average age of onset is 19.5 years, which means that many cases go undetected in childhood and adolescence. As the condition is difficult to treat, life with OCD can be extremely difficult.īut in our new research, published in Nature Communications, we discovered an imbalance in brain chemicals in OCD that could lead to radically different and improved treatments. Some people with OCD are engaged in rituals for much of their waking life and cannot even leave their homes. This is often coupled with compulsions, which are ritualistic mental or physical actions. But OCD is actually a severe and disabling disorder characterized by obsessions – recurrent intrusive thoughts, impulses or images that are unwanted and anxiety provoking. People often jokingly say they’ve “got a bit of OCD” (obsessive-compulsive disorder) if they are overly organized or tidy.
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