Neurocircuit-based investigation of obsessive-compulsive disorder: a contribution to the study of disease mechanisms and the development of new treatments

• Grant number: 19/27250-3
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• Start date: June 01, 2022
• End date: May 31, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Psychiatry
• Principal Investigator: Roseli Gedanke Shavitt
• Grantee: Roseli Gedanke Shavitt
• Host Institution: Instituto de Psiquiatria Doutor Antonio Carlos Pacheco e Silva (IPq). Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da USP (HCFMUSP). Secretaria da Saúde (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Antonio Carlos Lopes ; Carolina Cappi ; Daniel Lucas da Conceição Costa ; Elizabeth Shephard ; Eurípedes Constantino Miguel Filho ; João Ricardo Sato ; Marcelo Camargo Batistuzzo ; Marcelo Queiroz Hoexter ; Maria Alice Simões de Mathis ; Maria Concepción García Otaduy ; Priscila de Jesus Chacon
• Associated scholarship(s): 25/12613-4 - Neurofeedback with functional near-infrared spectroscopy in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A qualitative analysis during exposure to aversive images, BP.IC; 25/00400-6 - Association of Heart Rate with Neurofeedback Response Using Near-Infrared Functional Spectroscopy in Individuals with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, BP.IC; 24/18566-5 - Contribution of scientific journalism to the scientific research/lay population interface: dissemination, recruitment of volunteers and dissemination of relevant knowledge about the diagnosis and treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder, BP.JC; 23/11569-6 - Neurocircuit-based investigation of obsessive-compulsive disorder: a contribution to the study of disease mechanisms and the development of new treatments, BP.PD

Abstract

The objective of this proposal is to investigate the involvement of specific brain circuits in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), selected from evidence from neuroimaging and neuropsychological studies, by examining their association with distinct phenotypes and their engagement as targets of two first-line treatments for this condition. We will characterize the phenotype of adults with OCD and, using multimodal neuroimaging and electrophysiological measures, we will study the structure, activity, connectivity and metabolism of the fronto-limbic circuit, implicated in the experiences of fear and emotional regulation, and the sensorimotor circuit, implicated in sensory experiences. Data will be acquired at baseline and after treatment with sertraline hydrochloride or Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT). The circuits of interest will also be investigated in patients with refractory OCD submitted to radiosurgery. Analyses of baseline data will allow us to examine the functioning of the selected circuits and their association with the phenotype. The longitudinal analyses will allow us to verify if the same circuits were engaged as therapeutic targets. Gene expression will also be investigated longitudinally. In parallel, we will test the feasibility of one innovative treatment for OCD, the f-NIRS neurofeedback. These should lead to future controlled studies to test its effectiveness in large scale. In this way, we will generate original data on the association of specific brain circuits with the phenotype and disease mechanisms, which shall contribute to advance a novel, neurocircuit-based taxonomy and the development of treatments directed to more specific brain targets. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

SATO, JOAO RICARDO; PEREIRA, TIAGO DUARTE; MARTINS, CLARICE MARIA DE LUCENA; BEZERRA, THAYNA ALVES; QUEIROZ, MARIA EDUARDA; COSTA, LARISSA PEREIRA; ANDRADE, SUELLEN MARINHO; BIAZOLI, CLAUDINEI EDUARDO. A Novel Exploratory Graph-Based Analytical Tool for Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy in Naturalistic Experiments: An Illustrative Application in Typically Developing Children. BRAIN SCIENCES, v. 13, n. 6, p. 9-pg., 2023-06-01. (18/04654-9, 19/27250-3, 18/21934-5, 21/05332-8)

ECHEVARRIA, M. A. N.; BATISTUZZO, M. C.; SILVA, R. M. F.; BRUNONI, A. R.; SATO, J. R.; MIGUEL, E. C.; HOEXTER, M. Q.; SHAVITT, R. G.. Increases in functional connectivity between the default mode network and sensorimotor network correlate with symptomatic improvement after transcranial direct current stimulation for obsessive-compulsive disorder. Journal of Affective Disorders, v. 355, p. 9-pg., 2024-04-01. (19/06009-6, 21/05332-8, 14/50917-0, 18/04654-9, 18/21934-5, 19/27250-3, 12/20911-5)