Spatial working memory performance in people with obsessive–compulsive disorder, their unaffected first-degree relatives and healthy controls

Heinzel, Stephan; Bey, Katharina; Grützmann, Rosa; Klawohn, Julia; Kaufmann, Christian; Lennertz, Leonhard; Wagner, Michael; Kathmann, Norbert; Riesel, Anja · 2021 · DOAJ

DOI: 10.1192/bjo.2021.1052

archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified

Get this paper ↗ (DOI — opens at the source; we link to it, we don't host it)

Summary

This study investigates whether spatial working memory (SWM) impairment serves as a cognitive endophenotype for obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). While previous research has established SWM deficits in individuals with OCD, it remains unclear whether these deficits are heritable risk markers present in unaffected relatives or merely correlates of the disorder itself. The authors aimed to clarify this by comparing SWM performance across three groups: individuals with OCD, their unaffected first-degree relatives, and healthy controls. The study included 252 participants: 69 with OCD, 77 unaffected first-degree relatives, and 106 healthy controls. Participants were assessed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV TR Axis I Disorders. SWM performance was measured using a moderately difficult version of the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery, which required participants to locate hidden tokens in boxes. Performance was quantified by between-search errors and strategy scores, which were combined into a composite z-score where higher values indicated worse performance. Statistical analyses included an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with age as a covariate, given that relatives were significantly older than the other groups. To verify robustness, a sensitivity analysis was conducted on an age-matched subsample of 102 participants (34 per group). Results indicated a significant group effect on SWM performance. After adjusting for age, healthy controls performed best, relatives showed intermediate performance, and individuals with OCD performed worst. Post hoc comparisons revealed a significant difference between healthy controls and OCD participants, confirming the robust impairment in the clinical group. However, the critical comparison between unaffected relatives and healthy controls did not reach statistical significance, nor did the comparison between relatives and OCD participants. These findings were consistent in both the whole sample and the age-matched subsample. Additionally, medication status and depressive comorbidity did not significantly affect SWM performance. The study concludes that while SWM impairment is a robust feature of OCD, the lack of significant deficit in unaffected relatives does not fully support SWM performance as a core cognitive endophotype. The authors suggest that endophenotypes for OCD may be better characterized at the level of neuronal circuitry rather than task performance, citing evidence of compensatory neural activity in relatives. Future research should employ more executively demanding tasks and neuroimaging techniques to further elucidate the mechanisms of SWM dysfunction in OCD development and maintenance.

Provenance

The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed.

Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-26; verification: verified.

Topics

Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.

• working memory