Specificity of Conditional Associative-Learning Deficits in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Non-OCD Anxiety Disorders

Abstract

The acquisition of conditional associations using neutral and disease-related nouns was studied in 15 inpatients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), 15 inpatients with non-OCD anxiety disorders and 15 chronic pain inpatients. Patients were comparable with respect to age, sex, depression, intelligence, executive functions, verbal and spatial memory, visuoconstructive functions, and handedness. The investigation took place in the diagnostic phase prior to the patient's beginning a standardized behavioral treatment program. It was hypothesized that anxiety patients acquired disease-related material faster than pain patients but that only OCD patients show inferior performance with respect to neutral stimuli. Results show that the three patient groups were widely comparable concerning neuropsychological background measures and showed equivalent results with respect to disease-related stimuli. But OCD patients yielded an inferior degree of performance when neutral stimuli were used whereas non-OCD anxiety disorder and pain patients displayed an equivalent degree of performance both for neutral and disease-related material, respectively. Results are discussed within the framework of obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders.