Differences in latent inhibition as a function of the autogenous–reactive OCD subtype

Abstract

We examined differences in a visual search-based latent inhibition (LI) task in 48 non-treatment seeking individuals diagnosed with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) and 26 non-OCD controls, using a visual search-based LI task as a function of participants’ primary obsessional presentation based on the autogenous–reactive subtype model of obsessions ( Lee & Kwon, 2003; Lee & Telch, 2007). We hypothesized that LI would be significantly attenuated among OCD participants whose primary obsessions were characterized by aversive impulses, images, or thoughts with sexual, aggressive, blasphemous, and repulsive themes (autogenous obsessions) due to their weakened attentional inhibitory mechanisms and elevated schizotypal personality features, as compared with those whose primary obsessions were characterized by somewhat realistic aversive mental intrusions about contamination, mistakes, accidents, or disarray (reactive obsession) and non-OCD controls. Results showed that those primarily displaying autogenous obsessions failed to display LI, whereas those primarily displaying reactive obsessions and non-OCD controls displayed significant LI effects. Our data suggest that the magnitude of LI varies as a function of primary obsessional presentations among individuals with OCD.