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Predicting cognitive-behavioral therapy outcomes in obsessive-compulsive disorder from inhibitory control neural activity: A mega-analysis and machine learning study from the ENIGMA-OCD consortium

European Neuropsychopharmacology, pp. 113879

Abstract

Objective Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), yet it remains difficult to predict who will respond. This study investigates associations between neural activity during inhibitory control tasks and CBT outcomes, and its value as a predictive marker of CBT outcome. Methods Using fMRI data from individuals performing an inhibitory control task across five ENIGMA-OCD samples (n=130, age range=8-57, 54% female), mass-univariate associations were analyzed between response inhibition and error processing activity and three CBT outcomes: response, remission, and change in symptom severity. Random forest classifier and support vector machine models using leave-one-sample-out and 5-fold cross-validation were used to predict CBT response and remission from fMRI activity and clinical data. Results Remission after CBT was associated with weaker activity in default mode regions during response inhibition and in the right supramarginal gyrus during error processing. Greater symptom reduction was linked to weaker pre-treatment activity across frontoparietal, dorsal attention, visual, and subcortical regions during response inhibition, and stronger default mode activity during error processing. These group-level effects were partially confirmed with machine learning, which predicted CBT response using inhibitory and error-related activity with modest AUC values of 0.66-0.67. Prediction of CBT remission or using other data types did not exceed chance-level. Conclusion Wide-spread weaker activity during response inhibition and stronger activity in default mode regions during error processing pre-treatment appear beneficial for CBT. Despite modestly predictive AUC-values, these findings cannot yet be translated into clinically relevant individual markers of CBT outcome.

Authors 26

  1. Nadža Džinalija corresponding

    Amsterdam Neuroscience · Amsterdam University Medical Centers · Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam · Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

    Affiliation as printed

    Amsterdam Neuroscience, Compulsivity Impulsivity & Attention, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Amsterdam University Medical Center, Vrije University Amsterdam, Department of Psychiatry, Department of Anatomy & Neurosciences, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

  2. Amsterdam Neuroscience · Amsterdam University Medical Centers · Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam · Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

    Affiliation as printed

    Amsterdam Neuroscience, Compulsivity Impulsivity & Attention, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Amsterdam University Medical Center, Vrije University Amsterdam, Department of Psychiatry, Department of Anatomy & Neurosciences, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

  3. New York State Psychiatric Institute · Columbia University

    Affiliation as printed

    Center for OCD and Related Disorders, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA

    Columbia University Irving Medical College, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

  4. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

    Affiliation as printed

    Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA

  5. Instituto de Salud Carlos III · Bellvitge University Hospital · Institut d'Investigació Biomédica de Bellvitge · Universitat de Barcelona

    Affiliation as printed

    Centre for Biomedical Research in the Mental Health Network, Carlos III Health Institute, Madrid, Spain

    Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

    Department of Psychiatry, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, Bellvitge University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain

  6. Instituto de Salud Carlos III · Institut d'Investigació Biomédica de Bellvitge · Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental · Universitat de Barcelona

    Affiliation as printed

    CIBERSAM, Carlos III Health Institute, Madrid, Spain

    Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

    Department of Psychiatry, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute-IDIBELL, Barcelona, Spain

  7. Leiden University · Amsterdam Neuroscience · Amsterdam University Medical Centers · University of Amsterdam

    Affiliation as printed

    Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Amsterdam University Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Section Forensic Family and Youth Care, Institute of Education and Child Studies, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands

  8. Consorci Institut D'Investigacions Biomediques August Pi I Sunyer

    Affiliation as printed

    August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain

  9. Hospital Clínic de Barcelona · Consorci Institut D'Investigacions Biomediques August Pi I Sunyer

    Affiliation as printed

    August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain

    Department of Adult Psychiatry and Psychology, Institute of Neurosciences, Hospital Clinic, Barcelona, Spain

  10. Haukeland University Hospital · Molde Hospital

    Affiliation as printed

    Bergen Center for Brain Plasticity, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway

    Department of Psychiatry, Hospital of Molde, Molde, Norway

  11. Haukeland University Hospital · Senter for Krisepsykologi · University of Bergen

    Affiliation as printed

    Bergen Center for Brain Plasticity, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway

    Centre for Crisis Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway

  12. Amsterdam University Medical Centers · Levvel

    Affiliation as printed

    Amsterdam University Medical Center, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Levvel, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

  13. Haukeland University Hospital · University of Bergen

    Affiliation as printed

    Bergen Center for Brain Plasticity, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway

    Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway

  14. Bellvitge University Hospital · Institut d'Investigació Biomédica de Bellvitge

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Psychiatry, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, Bellvitge University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain

    Department of Radiology, Bellvitge University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain

  15. Instituto de Salud Carlos III · Bellvitge University Hospital · Institut d'Investigació Biomédica de Bellvitge · Universitat de Barcelona

    Affiliation as printed

    Centre for Biomedical Research in the Mental Health Network, Carlos III Health Institute, Madrid, Spain

    Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

    Department of Psychiatry, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, Bellvitge University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain

  16. Haukeland University Hospital · University of Bergen

    Affiliation as printed

    Bergen Center for Brain Plasticity, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway

    Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway

    Department of Radiology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway

  17. Instituto de Salud Carlos III · Bellvitge University Hospital · Institut d'Investigació Biomédica de Bellvitge · Universitat de Barcelona

    Affiliation as printed

    Centre for Biomedical Research in the Mental Health Network, Carlos III Health Institute, Madrid, Spain

    Department of Psychiatry, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, Bellvitge University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain

    Department of Social Psychology and Quantitative Psychology, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

  18. Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam · Amsterdam Neuroscience · Levvel

    Affiliation as printed

    Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Amsterdam UMC location University of Amsterdam, Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Levvel, Academic Center for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Specialized Youth Care, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

  19. University of Southern California

    Affiliation as printed

    Imaging Genetics Center, Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, CA, USA

  20. Haukeland University Hospital · University of Bergen

    Affiliation as printed

    Bergen Center for Brain Plasticity, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway

    Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway

  21. Consorci Institut D'Investigacions Biomediques August Pi I Sunyer

    Affiliation as printed

    August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain

  22. South African Medical Research Council · University of Cape Town

    Affiliation as printed

    Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

    South African Medical Research Council Unit on Risk & Resilience in Mental Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

  23. University of Southern California

    Affiliation as printed

    Imaging Genetics Center, Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, CA, USA

  24. Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin · Berlin Institute of Health at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin · Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin · University of Amsterdam

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Developmental Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Research Division of Mind and Brain, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt University of Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Charité Campus Mitte, Berlin, Germany

  25. Amsterdam Neuroscience · Amsterdam University Medical Centers · Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam · Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

    Affiliation as printed

    Amsterdam Neuroscience, Compulsivity Impulsivity & Attention, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Amsterdam University Medical Center, Vrije University Amsterdam, Department of Psychiatry, Department of Anatomy & Neurosciences, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

  26. Amsterdam Neuroscience · Amsterdam University Medical Centers · University of Amsterdam

    Affiliation as printed

    Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Amsterdam University Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

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References 47