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The Evolutionary and Developmental Pathways of Obsessive Compulsive Rituals in...
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The Evolutionary and Developmental Pathways of Obsessive Compulsive Rituals in Psychopathology

A special issue of Brain Sciences (ISSN 2076-3425). This special issue belongs to the section "Psychiatric Diseases".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2024 | Viewed by 4439

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Matteo Tonna

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Medicine and Surgery, Psychiatric Unit, University of Parma, c/o Ospedale Maggiore, Pad. 21 - Braga, Viale A. Gramsci 14, 43126 Parma, Italy
Interests: phenomenology; psychopathology; psychiatry; clinical psychiatry; mental illness; evolution; psychotherapeutic processes; psychopharmacology; biological psychiatry; psychological assessment

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Rituals represent a ubiquitous phenomenon in animal life, including human individuals and cultures. In psychopathology, rituals, referred to as compulsions, are not limited to Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), but are spread across a wide range of psychiatric conditions, from Autism Spectrum Disorders to major endogenous psychoses. Further, they represent a maladaptive response to different childhood adverse experiences, shaping later psychopathology. Overall, compulsions arise from different neurodevelopmental (psychosocial or biological) perturbations. Growing evidence points to a common substrate in impaired multisensory integration processing, which would emerge as specific sensory phenomena from developmental years onwards, eventually triggering the recourse of compulsions as evolutionarily conserved behavioral responses.

The aim of this Special Issue is to promote an interdisciplinary approach in the search of the evolutionary and developmental underpinnings of compulsive behavior across psychopathology.

Original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following: clinical psychiatry, psychopathology, evolutionary biology, neuropsychology, neurophysiology, brain imaging, and developmental psychology.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Matteo Tonna
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Brain Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
  • ritual behavior
  • compulsive behavior
  • evolution
  • development
  • trauma
  • psychosis
  • autism
  • psychopathology

Published Papers (4 papers)

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11 pages, 1239 KiB  
Article
Impact of Benzodiazepines and Illness Duration on Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder during COVID-19 in Italy: Exploring Symptoms’ Evolutionary Benefits
by Giordano D’Urso, Alfonso Magliacano, Marco Manzo, Mattia Vittorio Pomes, Carla Iuliano, Felice Iasevoli, Bernardo Dell’Osso and Andrea de Bartolomeis
Brain Sci. 2024, 14(4), 338; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/brainsci14040338 - 30 Mar 2024
Viewed by 707
Abstract
Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is believed to follow a waxing and waning course, often according to environmental stressors. During the COVID-19 pandemic, pre-existing OCD symptoms were reported to increase and to change from checking to washing behaviors, while new-onset symptoms were predominantly of the [...] Read more.
Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is believed to follow a waxing and waning course, often according to environmental stressors. During the COVID-19 pandemic, pre-existing OCD symptoms were reported to increase and to change from checking to washing behaviors, while new-onset symptoms were predominantly of the hoarding type. In the present study, we followed the evolution of OCD symptoms, anxiety, depression, and insights of illness in forty-six OCD patients throughout the pandemic. Clinical measures were collected at four different time points before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy. Within-subject comparisons were used to compare clinical scale scores across time, and correlations were examined between patients’ baseline characteristics and changes in clinical scores. We found that all clinical measures increased during the first Italian lockdown with respect to the pre-pandemic values. Anxiety decreased during the temporary elimination of restriction provisions, whereas the severity of OCD symptoms and insight returned to pre-pandemic values during the second mandatory lockdown. These results were observed only in two sub-groups of patients: those taking benzodiazepines and those with shorter illness duration. Our findings suggest the need for additional clinical attention to these specific sub-groups of OCD patients in case of particularly distressing circumstances while pointing to a possible adaptive role of their OCD symptoms when the environment requires a higher care of hygiene and an extraordinary supply of essential resources. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Evolutionary and Developmental Pathways of Obsessive Compulsive Rituals in Psychopathology)
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13 pages, 394 KiB  
Article
The Relationship between Childhood Trauma Experiences and Psychotic Vulnerability in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: An Italian Cross-Sectional Study
by Davide Fausto Borrelli, Laura Dell’Uva, Andrea Provettini, Luca Gambolò, Anna Di Donna, Rebecca Ottoni, Carlo Marchesi and Matteo Tonna
Brain Sci. 2024, 14(2), 116; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/brainsci14020116 - 24 Jan 2024
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Abstract
People with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) are at increased risk of developing psychotic disorders; yet little is known about specific clinical features which might hint at this vulnerability. The present study was aimed at elucidating the pathophysiological mechanism linking OCD to psychosis through [...] Read more.
People with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) are at increased risk of developing psychotic disorders; yet little is known about specific clinical features which might hint at this vulnerability. The present study was aimed at elucidating the pathophysiological mechanism linking OCD to psychosis through the investigation of childhood trauma experiences in adolescents and adults with OCD. One hundred outpatients, aged between 12 and 65 years old, were administered the Yale–Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) and its Child version (CY-BOCS), as well as the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ); Cognitive–Perceptual basic symptoms (COPER) and high-risk criterion Cognitive Disturbances (COGDIS) were assessed in the study sample. Greater childhood trauma experiences were found to predict psychotic vulnerability (p = 0.018), as well as more severe OCD symptoms (p = 0.010) and an earlier age of OCD onset (p = 0.050). Participants with psychotic vulnerability reported higher scores on childhood trauma experiences (p = 0.02), specifically in the emotional neglect domain (p = 0.01). In turn, emotional neglect and psychotic vulnerability were found higher in the pediatric group than in the adult group (p = 0.01). Our findings suggest that childhood trauma in people with OCD may represent an indicator of psychotic vulnerability, especially in those with an earlier OCD onset. Research on the pathogenic pathways linking trauma, OCD, and psychosis is needed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Evolutionary and Developmental Pathways of Obsessive Compulsive Rituals in Psychopathology)
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13 pages, 1235 KiB  
Article
Obsessive–Compulsive Symptoms in Children Are Related to Sensory Sensitivity and to Seeking Proxies for Internal States
by Ilil Tal, Matti Cervin, Nira Liberman and Reuven Dar
Brain Sci. 2023, 13(10), 1463; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/brainsci13101463 - 16 Oct 2023
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Abstract
Symptoms of obsessive–compulsive disorder are related to atypical sensory processing, particularly sensory over-responsivity, in both children and adults. In adults, obsessive–compulsive symptoms are also associated with the attenuation of access to the internal state and compensatory reliance on proxies for these states, including [...] Read more.
Symptoms of obsessive–compulsive disorder are related to atypical sensory processing, particularly sensory over-responsivity, in both children and adults. In adults, obsessive–compulsive symptoms are also associated with the attenuation of access to the internal state and compensatory reliance on proxies for these states, including fixed rules and rituals. We aimed to examine the associations between sensory over-responsivity, the tendency to seek proxies for internal states, and obsessive–compulsive symptoms in children. Parents of 404 children between 5 and 10 years of age completed online measures of obsessive–compulsive symptoms, seeking proxies for internal states, sensory over-responsivity, and anxiety. Linear regression, dominance analysis, and network analysis were used to explore the unique associations between these variables. The tendency to seek proxies for internal states was more strongly associated with obsessive–compulsive symptoms than with anxiety symptoms and uniquely associated with all major obsessive–compulsive symptom dimensions except obsessing. Both the tendency to seek proxies for internal states and sensory over-responsivity were significantly associated with obsessive–compulsive symptoms, but the association was significantly stronger for the tendency to seek proxies for internal states. While limited by the sole reliance on the parent-report, the present study shows that the tendency to seek proxies for internal states could help clarify the developmental processes involved in the onset of obsessive–compulsive symptoms during childhood and that sensory sensitivity may be important to consider in this process. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Evolutionary and Developmental Pathways of Obsessive Compulsive Rituals in Psychopathology)
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24 pages, 1687 KiB  
Systematic Review
Prevalence and Correlates of the Concurrence of Autism Spectrum Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
by Claudia Aymerich, Malein Pacho, Ana Catalan, Noorulain Yousaf, Violeta Pérez-Rodríguez, Matthew J. Hollocks, Mara Parellada, Georgina Krebs, Bruce Clark and Gonzalo Salazar de Pablo
Brain Sci. 2024, 14(4), 379; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/brainsci14040379 - 13 Apr 2024
Viewed by 870
Abstract
Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) are two common and impairing neurodevelopmental conditions with partial symptomatic overlap. The aim of this study is to systematically and meta-analytically examine the following: (i) the prevalence of an OCD diagnosis among young [...] Read more.
Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) are two common and impairing neurodevelopmental conditions with partial symptomatic overlap. The aim of this study is to systematically and meta-analytically examine the following: (i) the prevalence of an OCD diagnosis among young people with ASD, (ii) the prevalence of an ASD diagnosis among young people with OCD, and (iii) the clinical and therapeutic implications of such comorbidity. Method: A multistep literature search was performed from database inception until 17 November 2023. This PRISMA/MOOSE-compliant systematic review, registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023480543), identified studies reporting on the prevalence, sociodemographic, psychopathologic, prognostic, and therapeutic correlates of OCD and ASD concurrence in children and adolescents. A quantitative meta-analysis with random effects was conducted to analyse the pooled prevalence of OCD among samples with a mean age of < 18 years old with ASD and the prevalence of ASD among individuals under 18 with OCD. Sensitivity analyses were performed to investigate the effect of diagnostic criteria and different continents. Meta-regression analyses were conducted to examine the effect of gender, age, IQ, and OCD severity scores. A narrative review of the clinical and therapeutical implications of the comorbidity was provided. Results: 42 studies were selected for the systematic review (SR), and 31 of them were also included in one of the meta-analyses. The pooled prevalence of OCD among ASD youth samples (n = 8916, mean age = 10.6 ± 1.6; 16.4% female) was 11.6% (95% confidence intervals [CI] = 6.9%; 18.8%), and the pooled prevalence of ASD among OCD children and adolescent samples (n = 6209, mean age = 14.1 ± 1.4; 45.7% female) was 9.5% (95% CI = 6.0%; 14.7%). Meta-regressions found a statistically higher prevalence of ASD among samples with a lower prevalence of females (β = −4.7; 95%CI = −8.6; −0.8). Children with both OCD and ASD present higher rates of functional impairment, psychopathology, and other comorbidities, compared to youth with either of the disorders alone. Conclusions: OCD and ASD are highly concurrent conditions in youth, with symptomatic, prognostic, severity, and therapeutic implications. Future research should focus on conducting longitudinal cohort studies prospectively to determine development trajectories, along with randomized controlled trials to assess the efficacy of specific therapeutic interventions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Evolutionary and Developmental Pathways of Obsessive Compulsive Rituals in Psychopathology)
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