A recent study from Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital has identified a specific neural activity pattern as a novel biomarker to accurately predict and monitor the clinical status of individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) who have undergone deep brain stimulation (DBS), a rapidly emerging therapeutic approach for severe psychiatric disorders. The study, led by led by Drs. Sameer Sheth and Wayne Goodman along with co-lead authors, Drs.
Nicole Provenza, Sandy Reddy, and Anthony Allam, was published in Nature Medicine . "Recent advances in surgical neuromodulation have enabled long-term continuous monitoring of brain activity in OCD patients during their everyday lives," said Dr. Nicole Provenza, an assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine and McNair Scholar.
We used this novel opportunity to identify key neural signatures that can act as predictors of clinical state in twelve individuals with treatment-resistant OCD who were receiving DBS therapy." Dr. Nicole Provenza, Assistant Professor, Baylor College of Medicine OCD is a common and debilitating mental health condition that affects 2-3% of the population worldwide.
About two million people in the US suffer from OCD. In severe cases, patients spend an extraordinary amount of time performing repetitive, seemingly senseless compulsions and perseverating on intrusive thoughts. OCD has a huge toll on the well-being and quality of life of patients and their caregivers and can interfere .