For more information about our research and other research studies, please visit the N3 Lab
Brain Biomarkers of OCD During a Decision-Making Task
We are conducting an imaging study to better understand how brain activity differs in individuals with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). We are particularly interested to know if OCD affects how the brain processes rewards and chooses between options to attain goals, a set of functions known in neuroscience as cognitive control. To study this we are using functional magnetic imaging (fMRI) to scan the brains of people with and without OCD while they play a simple video-game-like task. fMRI uses magnetic fields to detect relative oxygenation of blood in the brain. By measuring this, called the Blood Oxygen Level Dependent (BOLD) signal, in different parts of the brain during the task, and comparing those measurements between OCD and control groups, we will see if particular events in the task are associated with more or less activation in certain brain areas in individuals with OCD compared to controls. We are particularly interested in parts of the brain called the Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC) and the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (DLPFC), areas which have been previously been implicated in OCD. Our task is a computer-based game in which participants try to win money by choosing between options that differ in terms of their relative likelihood of yielding a reward.
For each participant the study has three stages. First your complete a brief online screening survey to determine your level of OCD symptoms. Second you play the game on your own online in order to get used to the game and interface. Finally, after completing the online game, you will be asked to come to UCSF Mission Bay campus and play the game while the fMRI scanner is running. The fMRI scan is a 1.5-2 hour commitment and will occur Monday - Friday between 8-6 and involves lying still in a small space for up to an hour. Participants will be compensated for each stage of the study.
Please email [email protected] if you are interested in participating or have any questions about the study.
Genomic Studies of OCD
The goal the project will be to identify multiple Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) risk genes, each carrying large effects that will provide essential molecular clues to the origins of OCD and offer avenues for the development of new treatments.
This is a multi-center study with Rutgers University, University of Iowa, University of Miami, Mass General Hospital, McLean Hospital, Yale University, and Rogers Behavioral Health. We will be recruiting patients with OCD for this study and potentially their biological parents for this genetics study. This study will involve filling out questionaires regarding psychiatric/medical history, OCD symptoms, and information regarding related conditions such as tic disorder, trichotillomania, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Subsequently, a more in depth psychological evaluation may also take place. A blood draw will then be performed for this genetics study.
Please email [email protected] if you are interested in participating or have any questions about the study.
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation to Treat Compulsivity in Anorexia Nervosa
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is being studied as a treatment for Anorexia Nervosa (AN). It involves non-invasive electromagnetic brain stimulation at the orbitofrontal cortex. TMS is also regularly used to treat other neuropsychiatric disorders such as depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Both AN and OCD are characterized by the propensity toward cognitive inflexibility. Since TMS is an effective FDA-cleared treatment for OCD, the researchers believe that it may also be an effective treatment for AN.
There are two groups for this study that each have a separate purpose. The purpose of the first group (ages 14 – 45) is to evaluate long-term changes in the brain specific to habit-directed networks in participants with anorexia nervosa (AN). Participants in this group will undergo functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) at least 5 times over a 10-month period. Participants in this first group will not receive rTMS treatment.
The purpose of the second group (ages 18 - 45) is to determine if rTMS is effective in treating AN. Participants in this group will receive rTMS treatment for 10 days (2 consecutive weeks). Each day will involve 5 rTMS treatments over the course of 5 hours. Participants in this group will also undergo fMRI before the first TMS treatment and after the final TMS treatment.
We are currently recruiting for both groups.
Please email [email protected] if you are interested in participating or have any questions about the study.