Inclusive Stratification of Clinical Dimensions in OCD v.1.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Developing inclusive, neurobiologically-informed stratification of clinical dimensions in obsessive compulsive disorder as a first step to effective targeted treatment.
IRAS ID
315080
Contact name
Rhiannon Jones
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Winchester
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 11 months, 30 days
Research summary
This project will collect pilot data to verify a new way of classifying symptom sub-types in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). We will examine how reliably these new subtypes (called 'clinical dimensions') can be identified and linked to brain function. Although evidence-based treatments exist for OCD, a substantial proportion of people do not experience significant benefit from these, particularly individuals from underrepresented ethnic groups. One reason treatment is not always successful is that OCD patients will often experience very different kinds of symptoms; one patient will experience OCD very differently to another patient with the same diagnosis. OCD is traditionally grouped according to content of the obsessions and compulsions (e.g. washing or checking), but this had limited success in informing treatment. A recent model (Shephard et al., 2021) instead suggested five clinical dimensions of symptoms which occur to different degrees in all patients depending on imbalances in their brain activity. This model accounts for a greater variation in symptoms then current models, and allows for biologically-informed treatments to be tailored to patients based on their symptoms.
We plan to test this model in a sample of fifty OCD patients, each taking part in three studies, and fifty controls taking part in two. In the first, we will carry out a qualitative interview with patients to assess how well the new model accounts for their symptoms. In the following two sessions, we will use electroencephalography (EEG) with both patients and controls to examine the relationship between the dimensions and their brain activity, both at rest and during symptom-related tasks. This will include a novel task to induce feelings of incompleteness, which we have successfully piloted in a non-clinical sample.REC name
Wales REC 6
REC reference
24/WA/0278
Date of REC Opinion
3 Dec 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion