Document type
ArticleVersion
Published versionPublication date
All rights reserved
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/178238
Memory and strategic processing in first-degree relatives of obsessive compulsive patients
Journal Title
Director/Tutor
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Related resource
Abstract
Background: the same executive dysfunctions and alterations in neuroimaging tests (both functional and structural) have been found in obsessive-compulsive patients and their first-degree relatives. These neurobiological findings are considered to be intermediate markers of the disease. The aim of our study was to assess verbal and non-verbal memory in unaffected first-degree relatives, in order to determine whether these neuropsychological functions constitute a new cognitive marker for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Method: recall and use of organizational strategies in verbal and non-verbal memory tasks were measured in 25 obsessive-compulsive patients, 25 unaffected first-degree relatives and 25 healthy volunteers. Results: first-degree relatives and healthy volunteers did not show differences on most measures of verbal memory. However, during the recall and processing of non-verbal information, deficits were found in first-degree relatives and patients compared with healthy volunteers. Conclusions: the presence of the same deficits in the execution of non-verbal memory tasks in OCD patients and unaffected first-degree relatives suggests the influence of certain genetic and/or familial factors on this cognitive function in OCD and supports the hypothesis that deficits in non-verbal memory tasks could be considered as cognitive markers of the disorder.
Subject
Subject (English)
Citation
Citation
SEGALÀS COSI, Cinto, et al. Memory and strategic processing in first-degree relatives of obsessive compulsive patients. Psychological Medicine. 2010. Vol. 40, num. 12, pags. 2001-2011. ISSN 0033-2917. [consulted: 16 of June of 2026]. Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/178238