Sustained attention in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder: a controlled study

Studies on attentional processes in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) hav e been inconsistent. The present study focused on the question of sustained attention in OCD, using the 'Degraded Stimulus Continuous Performance Test ' (DS-CPT) sensitivity index over. time. This study included 20 OCD patient s and 25 control subjects, comparable in sex, age and educational level. Al l subjects had a neuropsychiatric structured diagnostic interview, as well as a psychometric battery. The DS-CPT evaluated sustained attention. The se nsitivity decrement during DS-CPT was significant in both controls and OCD subjects. Contrary to our expectations, OCD patients did not show a greater decrease in sensitivity over time, compared to controls: thus, OCD patient s presented a no more important attention decrease than controls. Controls and OCD subjects became more conservative in their response criteria throug hout the DS-CPT test. Comparing OCD with and without pharmacological treatm ent did not reveal any difference in CPT outcome. Moreover,we observed, in OCD, a positive significant correlation between the Y-BOCS compulsion score and the CPT sensitivity index. A significant negative correlation of the Y -BOCS compulsive score with the CPT false alarm score was also found. In co nclusion, OCD patients did not present any disturbance in sustained attenti on during a task requiring an increased processing load. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.