Perseveration and shifting in obsessive–compulsive disorder as a function of uncertainty, punishment, and serotonergic medication.

Annemieke M. Apergis-Schoute, Febe E. van der Flier, Samantha H.Y. Ip, Jonathan W. Kanen, Matilde M. Vaghi, Naomi A. Fineberg, Barbara J. Sahakian, Rudolf N. Cardinal, Trevor W. Robbins

13 July 2023

Summary

People with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) can show both “perseveration” (persisting with an action after it is no longer advantageous) or “shifting” to other actions, depending on the situation they are in. In experimental tests, perseveration was related to the severity of OCD, and improved by medication that influences serotonin neurotransmitter systems.

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