Network Centre for Biomedical Research on Mental Health (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain; ICOnnecta't e-Health Program of the Institut Català d'Oncologia (ICO), L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain; Psycho-oncology and Digital Health Group, Health Services Research in Cancer, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge - IDIBELL, L'Hospitalet del Llobregat, Spain. Electronic address: mariaserrab@iconcologia.net.
2 papers in the library · 9 citations · publishing 2023-2024
In patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) undergoing a 3-month mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) programme, distinct baseline brain connectivity patterns were associated with four clinical domains: positive affect, negative affect, anxiety sensitivity, and rumination. Key brain nodes—the precuneus and frontopolar cortex—within the ventral default mode network and frontostriatal network showed predictive and response associations with clinical changes. MBCT may modulate connectivity in these networks, potentially reducing symptoms across domains. These network-based biomarkers could help personalize treatment and identify patients most likely to benefit from MBCT.
About 40-50% of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) continue to experience obsessions and compulsions after first-line treatments. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is proposed as an augmentation strategy to help patients decentre from distressful thoughts, potentially increasing non-reactivity and reducing compulsions. This randomized clinical trial of 60 OCD patients who did not respond to first-line treatments will compare an MBCT program (10 weekly 120-minute sessions) with treatment as usual. The primary outcome is change in OCD severity, measured by clinician and self-reported assessments. Comprehensive evaluations will include comorbid clinical variables, neuropsychological functioning, thought content, and structural and functional neuroimaging at baseline and post-intervention. This is the first RCT in this population to examine clinical, neuropsychological, and neuroimaging variables together to identify neural patterns associated with MBCT response.