Forgetting What You Have Checked: A Link Between Working Memory Impairment and Checking Behaviors in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Abstract

This work demonstrates that checking behavior in OCD is linked to a general reduction of the patients' verbal and visuospatial working memory span.

Differential role of visuospatial working memory in the propensity toward uncertainty in patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder and in healthy subjects

“…Two different hypotheses may explain the apparent discrepancy between the results of Jaafari et al (2013) and the present results. First, the relationship between working memory performances and gaze moves was also observed in healthy controls, suggesting that gaze moves could represent a behavioural marker of a sum of effects including uncertainty, but also working memory skills.…”

“…Therefore, the ability to hold and manipulate environmental information, as allowed by visuospatial working memory, does not mediate pathological uncertainty. This assumption may appear as contradictory to the data of Jaafari et al (2013). Indeed, the authors used an original version of Rotge's task (Rotge et al 2008a) and they reported strong relationships between baseline Fig.…”

“…First, Jaafari et al (2013) reported a correlation between memory deficits and checking behaviours. However, in this study, checking behaviours consisted of gaze moves for comparing two pictures that were presented simultaneously.…”

Uncertainty, checking, and intolerance of uncertainty in subclinical obsessive compulsive disorder: An extended replication

“…Thus, while previous research showed that patients with OCD in general perform more checking behavior than healthy controls (Jaafari et al, 2013;Kim, Roh, Kim, & Cha, 2012), and that uncertainty induces greater urges to check (Alcolado & Radomsky, 2011), the present study combined these findings. It showed that yet mild uncertainty, unrelated to obsessions, promotes actual checking behavior in OCþ but not OC À individuals.…”

How New Technologies Can Improve Prediction, Assessment, and Intervention in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (e-OCD): Review (Preprint)

“…The major component of this disorder is the verification ritual, which is performed to relieve the anxiety associated with obsessive ideas and intrusive doubt [78]. Even if this is not reported in studies, care should be taken to ensure that users do not develop digital stress or become a slave to an application or VR software.…”