Financial Support for Comprehensive Study on Prominent Traits of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Rigidity and Evasion

The University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry is leading a significant research project into Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), following a $15.6 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health. This project, part of the Conte Center initiative, brings together scientists with diverse backgrounds to improve the diagnosis and treatment of mental health disorders.

Professor Suzanne N. Haber, Ph.D., will lead the research at the University of Rochester. The team's focus is on understanding how dysfunction of neural connections in the 'OCD network' can result in obsessions and compulsions. This 'OCD network', a narrower, more defined network of brain regions, was discovered through previous research.

The research will probe abnormalities in the OCD network using imaging tools in people with OCD. The study aims to identify individual variation in critical network locations, with the ultimate goal of exploring new ways to modulate the OCD network. This could potentially be achieved through deep brain stimulation and low-intensity focused ultrasound.

OCD is among the most disabling psychiatric disorders and affects one to three percent of the global population. Individuals with OCD often compulsively avoid or take specific actions to avoid potential bad outcomes, despite a low likelihood of the outcome occurring.

The results of this research could have far-reaching implications, potentially influencing the management of a wide range of mental health conditions, including depression, PTSD, and addiction, according to Professor Haber.

The Conte Centers are named after a former congressman from Massachusetts who championed neuroscience research and the care of the severely mentally ill. There are 15 Conte Centers in the U.S., with the University of Rochester being one of them, thanks to this latest grant.

Six other institutions are participating in the research: Brown University, McLean Hospital, Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital, Rhode Island Hospital, University of Pittsburgh, and Washington University. However, the grant does not provide information about the six other institutions involved in obsessive-compulsive disorder research at the University of Rochester.

The five-year grant funds a Silvio O. Conte Center for Basic and Translational Mental Health Research at the University of Rochester. This research promises to shed light on the complexities of OCD and could pave the way for more effective treatments in the future.

Financial Support for Comprehensive Study on Prominent Traits of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Rigidity and Evasion