ISSUES SURROUNDING THE COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE OF OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVEDISORDER

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has been studied extensively in re cent years, with increased emphasis on understanding OCD's biological substrates. There has been significant progress in documenting abnorma l brain function in OCD patients, particularly in the orbitofrontal co rtex, basal ganglia, and thalamus. Similar progress has broadened our understanding of the cognitive and behavioral manifestations of the di sorder, including deficits in set shifting, hyperattention, and visuos patial construction abilities. Unfortunately, these results have not b een replicated consistently. This report comprises a review of previou s attempts to characterize the neurobiology and neuropsychology of OC: D, and a discussion of several factors in OCD research that can help t o explain previous inconsistencies.