Unraveling sequence learning in obsessive–compulsive disorder

Brezóczki, Bianka; Vékony, Teodóra; Pesthy, Orsolya; Tóth-Fáber, Eszter; Csigó, Katalin; Farkas, Kinga; Nemeth, Dezso

doi:10.1016/j.cobeha.2023.101326

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…Unbeknownst to the participant, the cued button presses are part of a repeating sequence. Deficits on this implicit motor sequence task could be due to an impairment in the ability to learn the sequence or an impairment in the ability to perform the visuomotor responses (Brezóczki et al, 2023;Soref et al, 2018). Second, there are other kinds of sequences such as explicit (instructed) sequences and non-motor sequences.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Second, there are other kinds of sequences such as explicit (instructed) sequences and non-motor sequences. It is unknown if the deficits exhibited in OCD on implicit motor sequences is specific, or if it extends to other kinds of sequences as well (Brezóczki et al, 2023;Soref et al, 2018). Therefore, implicit motor sequences may not be a complete description of sequential behaviors that relate to OCD.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Abstract task sequence initiation deficit dissociates anxiety disorders from obsessive-compulsive disorder and healthy controls

Doyle¹,

Boisseau²,

Garnaat³

et al. 2023

Preprint

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In everyday life, humans carry out sequences of tasks. Such sequential tasks may be disrupted in those with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Compulsions that are part of the disorder often cause repetitions of tasks or sequences that disrupt daily living. Such disruptions have been observed experimentally and may be unique to OCD. Deficits in implicitly learned motor sequences have been observed in participants with OCD compared to those with anxiety disorders (ANX). However, the sequences performed in daily life are most often not implicit motor-only sequences. They require completing a series of tasks that do not depend on the motor actions always being the same, such as cooking, and thus could be considered abstract. We tested the hypothesis that OCD participants exhibit a deficit in abstract sequential task performance compared to healthy controls (HCs) and ANX. A transdiagnostic sample of participants with OCD, anxiety, and related disorders and healthy controls completed sequences of simple categorization tasks. Surprisingly, participants with OCD did not perform worse than HCs or ANX. However, ANX participants did exhibit significantly higher reaction times throughout the task and specifically at sequence initiation. Further, task switching, a measure of more general cognitive control, was similar in individuals with ANX compared to healthy controls and OCD, suggesting that abstract sequential control was specifically altered in ANX while general cognitive control was preserved. These results implicate abstract sequential control deficits in individuals with anxiety disorders but not in OCD, and further suggest OCD behavior aligns more closely with implicit motor sequence deficits rather than dysfunctional abstract sequential control.

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

Abstract task sequence initiation deficit dissociates anxiety disorders from obsessive-compulsive disorder and healthy controls

Doyle¹,

Boisseau²,

Garnaat³

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Individual differences in probabilistic learning and updating predictive representations in individuals with obsessive-compulsive tendencies

Brezóczki,

Farkas,

Hann

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Obsessive-compulsive (OC) tendencies involve intrusive thoughts and rigid, repetitive behaviours that also manifest at the subclinical level in the general population. The neurocognitive factors driving the development and persistence of the excessive presence of these tendencies remain highly elusive, though emerging theories emphasize the role of implicit information processing. Despite various empirical studies on distinct neurocognitive processes, the incidental retrieval of environmental structures in dynamic and noisy environments, such as probabilistic learning, has received relatively little attention. In this study, we aimed to unravel potential individual differences in implicit probabilistic learning and the updating of predictive representations related to OC tendencies in the general population. We conducted two independent online experiments (NStudy1 = 164, NStudy2 = 257) with young adults. Probabilistic learning was assessed using a reliable implicit visuomotor probabilistic learning task, which involved sequences with second-order non-adjacent dependencies. Our findings revealed that even among individuals displaying a broad spectrum of OC tendencies within a non-clinical population, implicit probabilistic learning remained remarkably robust. Furthermore, the results highlighted effective updating capabilities of predictive representations, which were not influenced by OC tendencies. These results offer new insights into individual differences in probabilistic learning and updating in relation to OC tendencies, contributing to theoretical, methodological, and practical approaches for understanding the maladaptive behavioural manifestations of OC disorder and subclinical tendencies.

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Abstract task sequence initiation deficit dissociates anxiety disorders from obsessive–compulsive disorder and healthy controls

Doyle,

Boisseau,

Garnaat

et al. 2024

Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Unraveling sequence learning in obsessive–compulsive disorder

Cited by 3 publications

References 66 publications

Abstract task sequence initiation deficit dissociates anxiety disorders from obsessive-compulsive disorder and healthy controls

Abstract task sequence initiation deficit dissociates anxiety disorders from obsessive-compulsive disorder and healthy controls

Individual differences in probabilistic learning and updating predictive representations in individuals with obsessive-compulsive tendencies

Abstract task sequence initiation deficit dissociates anxiety disorders from obsessive–compulsive disorder and healthy controls

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