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Obsessive-compulsive disorder future or investigational therapies

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Sonya Gelfand

Future or Investigational Therapies

Future or Investigational Therapies

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

  • Though in its early stages of research, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has shown promising results. The magnetic pulses are focused on the brain’s supplementary motor area (SMA), which plays a role in filtering out extraneous internal stimuli, such as ruminations, obsessions, and tics. The TMS treatment is an attempt to normalize the SMA’s activity, so that it properly filters out thoughts and behaviors associated with OCD. [2] [3]
  • Many also hope to investigate the impact that the high comorbidity rates in people with OCD have on treatment. In order to do this, there would need to be more research conducted on how comorbidity patterns impact treatment and what the most optimal therapeutic methods to address differential patterns are.[1][2][3]
References

References

  1. Steketee G, Chambless DL, Tran GQ (2001). “Effects of axis I and II comorbidity on behavior therapy outcome for obsessive-compulsive disorder and agoraphobia”. Compr Psychiatry. 42 (1): 76–86. doi:10.1053/comp.2001.19746. PMID 11154720.
  2. Storch EA, Merlo LJ, Larson MJ, Geffken GR, Lehmkuhl HD, Jacob ML; et al. (2008). “Impact of comorbidity on cognitive-behavioral therapy response in pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder”. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 47 (5): 583–92. doi:10.1097/CHI.0b013e31816774b1. PMID 18356759.
  3. Steketee G, Eisen J, Dyck I, Warshaw M, Rasmussen S (1999). “Predictors of course in obsessive-compulsive disorder”. Psychiatry Res. 89 (3): 229–38. PMID 10708269.

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