Further evidence of reduced cognitive inhibition in obsessive-compulsive disorder

The concept of cognitive inhibition is reviewed together with experimental evidence in both clinical and non-clinical samples. Two negative priming experiments are described in which obsessive-compulsive disordered (OCD) subjects are consistently distinguished from all other categories of anxiety disorder. In conjunction with previous work it is suggested that this differentiation becomes more apparent as the cognitive complexity of the experimental task increases. These results are interpreted as further evidence for reduced cognitive inhibition in OCD sufferers. Comparison is drawn between the current results and those of previous negative priming studies with non-clinical, high schizotype, and schizophrenic subjects. The implications of these findings for our understanding of OCD are discussed.