Hoarding In Obsessive-compulsive Disorder Research Articles

Deficits of sustained attention in pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder comorbid with Tic disorders

BackgroundPediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and Tourette syndrome/chronic tics (tic disorders, TD), are associated with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Deficits in sustained attention are a core deficit in ADHD which can be captured by continuous performance tests (CPT). CPT data are used to examine deficits in sustained attention in youth with OCD, TD or both, and OCD symptom factors, to characterize the deficits in sustained attention in OCD and TD, testing the hypothesis whether comorbid OCD + TD is distinct from OCD only or TD only. MethodsA clinical registry of youth with OCD and/or TD included data on sustained attention, obtained with the Conner's CPT Test II (CPT-II). The CPT-II spans six time-blocks, capturing values for the capacity for sustained attention. The main outcome measure is the variability in the standard error (SE) of reaction time (RT) for correct responses (RT-SE), which is considered a core ADHD trait. Higher RT-SE values reflect a lack of uniformity in responses and is considered to reflect a deficit in sustained attention. Using generalized linear models (GLM), RT-SE is measured over the six time-blocks in three groups: OCD only, TD only and OCD + TS, with sex and age groups as moderators. Clinical ADHD diagnoses were contrasted between diagnostic groups while OCD dimensions (contamination-washing, aggressive-somatic, sexual-religious, counting-checking-repeating and hoarding) were tested for their effect on sustained attention. ResultsDeficits in sustained attention are significantly greater in the comorbid OCD + TD compared to OCD only and TD only, with the greatest differences apparent in blocks 5 and 6 (p < .001). While sex does not moderate sustained attention deficits, the higher RT-SE in blocks 5 and 6 is only seen in the younger age group (7–11 years), but not in adolescents (12–17 years). As expected, clinical ADHD is more prevalent in youth with comorbid OCD + TS (67%) compared to OCD only (21%) or TD only (33%) (p = .0002). The hoarding group, characterized by more frequent clinical ADHD diagnoses, has higher RT-SE for time blocks 3,4,5,6 compared to non-hoarders. Participants with contamination-washing symptoms, characterized by more prevalent anxiety disorders, have higher RT-SE than those with no contamination-washing symptoms for time block 4. ConclusionDeficits in sustained attention are associated with comorbid OCD + TD compared OCD only or TD only, evident only in a younger age group. Sustained attention deficits are also more common in youth with ADHD, OCD hoarding and OCD contamination-washing symptoms. In summary, sustained attention deficits are intrinsic to the comorbid OCD + TD group, suggesting a compounded developmental insult specific to sustained attention which tends to resolve by adolescence. A mechanistic commonality to sustained attention, tic disorders and OCD-related extinction learning may be aberrant oscillatory brain phenomena.

Parental bonding and hoarding in obsessive–compulsive disorder

BackgroundHoarding behavior may indicate a clinically and possibly etiologically distinct subtype of obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). Empirical evidence supports a relationship between hoarding and emotional over-attachment to objects. However, little is known about the relationship between hoarding and parental attachment in OCD. MethodThe study sample included 894 adults diagnosed with DSM-IV OCD who had participated in family and genetic studies of OCD. Participants were assessed for Axis I disorders, personality disorders, and general personality dimensions. The Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) was used to assess dimensions of perceived parental rearing (care, overprotection, and control). We compared parental PBI scores in the 334 hoarding and 560 non-hoarding participants, separately in men and women. We used logistic regression to evaluate the relationship between parenting scores and hoarding in women, adjusting for other clinical features associated with hoarding. ResultsIn men, there were no significant differences between hoarding and non-hoarding groups in maternal or paternal parenting scores. In women, the hoarding group had a lower mean score on maternal care (23.4 vs. 25.7, p<0.01); a higher mean score on maternal protection (9.4 vs. 7.7, p<0.001); and a higher mean score on maternal control (7.0 vs. 6.2, p<0.05), compared to the non-hoarding group. The magnitude of the relationships between maternal bonding dimensions and hoarding in women did not change after adjustment for other clinical features. Women who reported low maternal care/high maternal protection had significantly greater odds of hoarding compared to women with high maternal care/low maternal protection (OR=2.54, 95% CI=1.60–4.02, p<0.001). ConclusionsPerceived poor maternal care, maternal overprotection, and maternal overcontrol are associated with hoarding in women with OCD. Parenting dimensions are not related to hoarding in men. These findings provide further support for a hoarding subtype of OCD and for sex-specific differences in etiologic pathways for hoarding in OCD.

Relation between variants in the neurotrophin receptor gene, NTRK3, and white matter integrity in healthy young adults

The NTRK3 gene (also known as TRKC) encodes a high affinity receptor for the neurotrophin 3′-nucleotidase (NT3), which is implicated in oligodendrocyte and myelin development. We previously found that white matter integrity in young adults is related to common variants in genes encoding neurotrophins and their receptors. This underscores the importance of neurotrophins for white matter development. NTRK3 variants are putative risk factors for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and obsessive–compulsive disorder hoarding, suggesting that some NTRK3 variants may affect the brain.To test this, we scanned 392 healthy adult twins and their siblings (mean age, 23.6±2.2years; range: 20–29years) with 105-gradient 4-Tesla diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). We identified 18 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the NTRK3 gene that have been associated with neuropsychiatric disorders. We used a multi-SNP model, adjusting for family relatedness, age, and sex, to relate these variants to voxelwise fractional anisotropy (FA) — a DTI measure of white matter integrity.FA was optimally predicted (based on the highest false discovery rate critical p), by five SNPs (rs1017412, rs2114252, rs16941261, rs3784406, and rs7176429; overall FDR critical p=0.028). Gene effects were widespread and included the corpus callosum genu and inferior longitudinal fasciculus — regions implicated in several neuropsychiatric disorders and previously associated with other neurotrophin-related genetic variants in an overlapping sample of subjects. NTRK3 genetic variants, and neurotrophins more generally, may influence white matter integrity in brain regions implicated in neuropsychiatric disorders.

Clinically significant hoarding in obsessive-compulsive disorder: results from an Indian study

BackgroundHoarding is frequently conceptualized as a symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), but recent evidence indicates that, in most cases, hoarding may be better conceptualized as a distinct disorder that can coexist with OCD. Most of the research on hoarding is from the Western countries. This study aimed to provide data on the prevalence and correlates of clinically significant hoarding in a large sample of patients with OCD from the Indian subcontinent. MethodsWe examined 200 patients with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition OCD for clinically significant hoarding using the Saving Inventory–Revised, followed by a clinical interview. ResultsTwenty patients (10%) had clinically significant hoarding. In all cases, hoarding did not appear to be related or secondary to other OCD symptoms. None of the cases consulted for their hoarding problems. Compared with nonhoarders, hoarders hailed exclusively from an urban background and had a significantly higher frequency of certain obsessions and compulsions, bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, cluster C personality disorders, and a higher number of lifetime suicidal attempts. They also had a more severe OCD along with poorer global functioning and somewhat poorer insight into obsessive-compulsive symptoms. ConclusionsThe results suggest that clinically significant hoarding is relatively prevalent in Indian patients with OCD and that it appears to be largely unrelated to the OCD phenotype. However, the presence of comorbid hoarding is associated with more severe OCD, high comorbidity, more suicidal attempts, and a lower level of functioning. The results contribute to the current nosologic debate around hoarding disorder and provide a unique transcultural perspective.

Clinical Features and Treatment Characteristics of Compulsive Hoarding in Japanese Patients with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Compulsive hoarding has been studied primarily in Western countries. Here we sought to examine compulsive hoarding in Japanese patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The heterogeneous nature of hoarding was also investigated. One hundred and sixty-eight OCD outpatients were initially assessed to determine the presence or absence of compulsive hoarding, and whether hoarding was primary or secondary to another symptom dimension for which they had received treatment for 1 year. Of the participants, 54 patients were found to have compulsive hoarding. Hoarders were significantly more likely than non-hoarding patients to have more severe psychopathology including elevated severity of OCD symptoms, poorer insight, higher prevalence of comorbid schizotypal or obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, closer association with symmetry dimension, and poorer treatment outcome. Comparisons of subjects with primary and secondary hoarding found that the former group had more severe clinical features, while the latter group hoarded a wider variety of items, including apparently bizarre ones. The prevalence and clinical characteristics of compulsive hoarding in OCD subjects was similar to those reported in Western countries, supporting its trans-cultural consistency. The distinction between primary and secondary hoarding in OCD is clinically useful, and may contribute to the debate about whether hoarding should be a separate diagnostic entity.

The Impact of Symptomatic Hoarding in OCD and its Treatment

The value of defining subtypes in obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) has become an important issue for recent debate. Probably the most robust example of subtyping is the identification of hoarding as being different both in terms of psychopathology and response to treatment. To identify differences in psychopathology and treatment response in OCD patients with and without additional hoarding symptoms. Patients who had undertaken CBT for OCD were selected as falling into either a high or a low hoarding group. The high hoarding group (n = 18) was selected on the basis of a high score on the hoarding subscale of a self-report measure of OCD symptoms in addition to reaching clinician judged "threshold" on the hoarding item of the Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD) SCID-II module. The low hoarding group (n = 20) was selected on the basis of a low score on the hoarding subscale and a clinician judgement that the hoarding item of the OCPD SCID-II module was "absent". On some measures of pre-treatment psychopathology, patients with OCD with hoarding symptoms were more severely affected than those without hoarding symptoms. It was found that there was no difference in eventual treatment outcome between the two groups, although there was some evidence that the hoarding group showed greater symptom decreases. The presence of hoarding symptoms does not negatively impact on the treatment of OCD.

Genetic susceptibility to obsessive‐compulsive hoarding: the contribution of neurotrophic tyrosine kinase receptor type 3 gene1

Recent work suggests that neurotrophic factors may contribute to the genetic susceptibility to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Among other clinical dimensions, the presence of hoarding obsessions and compulsions has been shown to be correlated with a number of clinical and neuroimaging findings, as well as with a different pattern of genetic inheritance. We used a linkage disequilibrium (LD)-mapping approach to investigate whether neurotrophic tyrosine kinase receptor type 3 (NTRK3), the high-affinity receptor of neurotrophin 3 (NT-3), plays a role in increasing susceptibility to hoarding in OCD. We performed an association study of 52 tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (tagSNPs) covering the whole NTRK3 gene in a sample comprising 120 OCD patients and 342 controls. Single nucleotide polymorphism association and haplotype analysis were performed. Thirty-six of our patients (30%) exhibited significant hoarding obsessions and compulsions. A significant association of two SNPs in the 3' downstream region of NTRK3 gene and obsessive-compulsive hoarding was identified: rs1017412 [odds ratio (OR) = 2.16; P = 0.001] and rs7176429 (OR = 2.78; P = 0.0001), although only the latter remained significant after Bonferroni correction. Although the haplotype analysis did not show significant results, a more extended block of LD in the OCD hoarders with respect to the control group was observed, suggesting a lower haplotype diversity in these individuals. Our findings suggest that NTRK3 may contribute to the genetic susceptibility to hoarding in OCD and may constitute an interesting gene to focus on in studies of the genetic basis of obsessive-compulsive hoarding.

Sex-specific clinical correlates of hoarding in obsessive-compulsive disorder

Little is known about whether the clinical correlates of hoarding behavior are different in men and women with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In the current study, we evaluated the association of hoarding with categories of obsessions and compulsions, psychiatric disorders, personality dimensions, and other clinical characteristics separately in 151 men and 358 women with OCD who were examined during the OCD Collaborative Genetics Study. We found that, among men but not women, hoarding was associated with aggressive, sexual, and religious obsessions and checking compulsions. In men, hoarding was associated with generalized anxiety disorder and tics whereas, among women, hoarding was associated with social phobia, post-traumatic stress disorder, body dysmorphic disorder, nail biting, and skin picking. In women but not men, hoarding was associated with schizotypal and dependent personality disorder dimensions, and with low conscientiousness. These findings indicate that specific clinical correlates of hoarding in OCD are different in men and women and may reflect sex-specific differences in the course, expression, and/or etiology of hoarding behavior in OCD.

Is Compulsive Hoarding a Genetically and Neurobiologically Discrete Syndrome? Implications for Diagnostic Classification

Although standard diagnostic classifications consider obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) to be a single diagnostic entity, it has become clear that it is a heterogeneous disorder, with great variability in clinical presentation. This heterogeneity has complicated the interpretation of clinical, neurobiological, and genetic studies in OCD. Therefore, researchers have sought to identify clinically meaningful phenotypes that might be more homogeneous and heritable to facilitate our understanding of the etiology and pathophysiology of OCD and ultimately lead to improved treatments (1). Factor analytic studies have consistently identified four principal OCD symptom dimensions: 1) harm-related, aggressive, sexual, and religious obsessions with checking compulsions; 2) symmetry obsessions with arranging and repeating compulsions; 3) contamination obsessions with cleaning compulsions; and 4) hoarding and saving symptoms (1, 2). These symptom factors are relatively stable over time and show different patterns of genetic inheritance, age at onset, comorbidity, and treatment response (see 1 for review). Cluster analyses, which seek to identify mutually exclusive, categorical subgroups, indicate that some of these symptom factors, such as hoarding, may constitute discrete subtypes of OCD (3, 4). Hoarding is defined as the acquisition of and inability to discard items, even though they appear (to others) to have no value (5). Hoarding behavior has been observed in several neuropsychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, dementia, eating disorders, autism, and mental retardation, as well as in non-clinical populations, but it is most commonly found in OCD (6). 30% to 40% of OCD patients report hoarding and saving symptoms (6–8), and about 10% to 15% have hoarding as their most prominent symptom factor (3, 6). Compulsive hoarding is most commonly driven by obsessional fears of losing important items that the patient believes will be needed later, distorted beliefs about the importance of possessions, excessive acquisition, and exaggerated emotional attachments to possessions (5). Compulsive hoarding and saving leads to clutter that can cover living and work spaces, rendering them unusable. Hoarding frequently causes significant impairment in social and occupational functioning. In severe cases, it can produce health risks from infestations, falls, fires, and inability to cook or eat in the home (6). In this issue of the Journal, Jack Samuels, Ph.D., et al. report results from the OCD Collaborative Genetics Study, finding “suggestive” linkage of compulsive hoarding to a marker on chromosome 14 in families with OCD. The linkage became stronger when only families with two or more family members with compulsive hoarding were tested. Compulsive hoarding is well known to run in families. Hoarding behaviors are significantly more prevalent in the relatives of hoarding OCD patients than nonhoarding OCD patients (9). In the OCD Collaborative Genetics Study, hoarding was the most strongly familial of the OCD symptom factors, with robust correlations among sibling pairs (10). Only two previous genetic studies have examined the hoarding phenotype. Lochner et al. (8) found that the met/met (L/L) genotype of the catechol O-methyltransferase val158met polymorphism on chromosome 22q11 was significantly more prevalent in Afrikaner OCD patients with

The hoarding dimension of OCD: Psychological comorbidity and the five-factor personality model

Although hoarding has been associated with several psychological disorders, it is most frequently linked to obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). The present study assessed hoarding obsessions and compulsions in 204 individuals with OCD, and evaluated how hoarding was related to obsessive–compulsive symptom severity, psychological comorbidity, and personality as measured by the five-factor model. Results indicated that hoarding in OCD is a dimensional variable that is positively associated with dysphoria, total number of lifetime Axis I disorders, and lifetime histories of bipolar I, PTSD, and body dysmorphic disorder. Hoarding was negatively correlated with the NEO-Personality Inventory-Revised (NEO-PI-R) factor of Conscientiousness and positively associated with the NEO-PI-R factor of Neuroticism. When all personality and psychopathology variables were entered into a regression equation, dysphoria, bipolar II disorder, Conscientiousness, age, and Extraversion emerged as significant predictors of hoarding severity. Recommendations are made for clinicians and for future research.

Hoarding in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Hoarding may be an important symptom dimension in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Hoarding in OCD has been associated with poor insight, poorer response to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors than other OCD symptom dimensions, and a distinctive psychobiological profile. The clinical and genetic correlates of hoarding in OCD therefore deserve additional investigation. Adult OCD patients (N = 315) underwent a comprehensive clinical assessment that included the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (Patient Edition) and for Diagnosis of Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders. DNA extracted from venous blood (10-30 mL) in a Caucasian subset of the interviewed OCD patients (N = 204) and Caucasian controls (N = 169), including patients (N = 94) and controls (N = 138) of Afrikaner descent, was genotyped to investigate polymorphisms in genes involved in monoamine function and previously hypothesized to be relevant to OCD. Data were collected from 1998 through 2004. OCD patients with hoarding made up 18.1% of the total sample. Compared with nonhoarding OCD, OCD with hoarding was associated with a number of comorbid Axis I disorders, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, significantly higher OCD severity scores, and more functional impairment. In subjects of Afrikaner descent, the L/L genotype of the COMT Val158Met polymorphism was significantly more common in the OCD hoarding group, with a preponderance of low activity alleles, compared with nonhoarding patients and controls. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that hoarding represents a unique symptom subtype in OCD with a distinctive clinical and psychobiological profile. Further work is needed to determine the psychobiological mechanisms responsible for hoarding and to replicate the genetic findings noted here.

Mood, personality disorder symptoms and disability in obsessive compulsive hoarders: a comparison with clinical and nonclinical controls

Hoarding is a symptom of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), as well as a diagnostic criterion for obsessive compulsive personality disorder (OCPD). One recent study suggests that people who suffer from compulsive hoarding report more general psychopathology than people who do not [Frost, R.O., Krause, M.S., & Steketee, G. (1996). Hoarding and obsessive compulsive symptoms. Behavior Modification, 20, 116–132]. The present study addressed whether persons with OCD hoarding exhibit more depression, anxiety, OCD and personality disorders symptoms than community controls, OCD nonhoarders, or other anxiety disorder patients. Disability was also examined. Hoarding subjects were older than the other three groups, but age did not account for any of the differences observed among the groups. Compared to controls, OCD hoarding, nonhoarding OCD and anxiety disorder patients showed elevated YBOCS scores, as well as higher scores on depression, anxiety, family and social disability. Compared to nonhoarding OCD and anxiety disorder patients, OCD hoarding patients scored higher on anxiety, depression, family and social disability. Hoarding subjects had greater personality disorder symptoms than controls. However, OCD hoarding subjects differed from OCD nonhoarding and anxiety disorder subjects only on dependent and schizotypal personality disorder symptoms. The findings suggest that hoarding is associated with significant comorbidity and impairment compared to nonhoarding OCD and other anxiety disorders.