Mergl R, Mavrogiorgou P, Juckel G, Zaudig M, Hegerl U. Can a subgroup of OCD patients with motor abnormalities and poor therapeutic response be identified?
Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2005;
179:826-37. [PMID:
15887057 DOI:
10.1007/s00213-004-2115-0]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2004] [Accepted: 11/18/2004] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE
In a subgroup of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), motor soft signs, tics and other movement disorders can be observed, indicating a special pathogenetic involvement of basal ganglia.
OBJECTIVES
The main objective of this study was to verify the hypothesis that such motor dysfunction characterises a subgroup of OCD patients with poor treatment response. For assessing even subtle motor dysfunction, a new method for kinematical analysis of hand movements has been applied.
METHODS
We examined the performance of 45 in-patients who met the DSM-IV criteria for OCD before and under therapy (sertraline and behaviour therapy) using a digitising tablet and kinematical analysis of simple handwriting and drawing movements. All subjects wrote a sentence, their signature and letter sequences. Moreover, they drew circles under different conditions. Three kinematical parameters (stroke duration, variation coefficient of peak velocity, stroke length) were calculated to quantify hand-motor performance.
RESULTS
Prior to therapy, non-responders wrote with significantly smaller amplitudes than responders. Additionally, non-responders drew significantly larger circles with the non-dominant hand at baseline, as compared to responders. Disturbances of handwriting were more frequent in non-responders than in responders.
CONCLUSIONS
Kinematical analysis of handwriting movements seems to be interesting for the prediction of poor response to treatments in OCD patients.
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