Journal
PSYCHOLOGICAL MEDICINE
Volume 40, Issue 12, Pages 2001-2011Publisher
CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1017/S0033291710000310
Keywords
Endophenotype; executive dysfunction; neuropsychology; non-verbal memory; obsessive-compulsive disorder; organizational strategies; verbal memory
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Funding
- Fundacio la Marato TV3, Barcelona [010210]
- Agencia de Gestio d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca, Generalitat de Catalunya [2005 FI 00738]
- European Commission under [FP7-ICT-215839-2007]
- Instituto de Salud Carlos (III) Centro de Investigacion en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM)
- Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias de la Seguridad Social [FIS PI071029, FIS PI071044]
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Background. The same executive dysfunctions and alterations in neuroimaging tests (both functional and structural) have been found in obsessive-compulsive patients and their first-degree relatives. These neurobiological findings are considered to be intermediate markers of the disease. The aim of our study was to assess verbal and non-verbal memory in unaffected first-degree relatives, in order to determine whether these neuropsychological functions constitute a new cognitive marker for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Method. Recall and use of organizational strategies in verbal and non-verbal memory tasks were measured in 25 obsessive-compulsive patients, 25 unaffected first-degree relatives and 25 healthy volunteers. Results. First-degree relatives and healthy volunteers did not show differences on most measures of verbal memory. However, during the recall and processing of non-verbal information, deficits were found in first-degree relatives and patients compared with healthy volunteers. Conclusions. The presence of the same deficits in the execution of non-verbal memory tasks in OCD patients and unaffected first-degree relatives suggests the influence of certain genetic and/or familial factors on this cognitive function in OCD and supports the hypothesis that deficits in non-verbal memory tasks could be considered as cognitive markers of the disorder.
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