Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41115878›Full record

ArticleTranslational psychiatry2025

Working memory load-dependent modulation of neural activity predicts response to cognitive behavioral therapy in obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Stephan Heinzel, Christian Kaufmann, Rosa Grützmann, Björn Elsner, Benedikt Reuter, Julia Klawohn, Anja Riesel, Katharina Bey, Michael Wagner, Norbert Kathmann

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Translational psychiatry, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Stephan HeinzelDepartment of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Rudower Chaussee 18, Berlin, Germany. stephan.heinzel@fu-berlin.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2325-900X
Christian KaufmannDepartment of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Rudower Chaussee 18, Berlin, Germany.
Rosa GrützmannDepartment of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Rudower Chaussee 18, Berlin, Germany.
Björn ElsnerDepartment of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Rudower Chaussee 18, Berlin, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4312-4762
Benedikt ReuterDepartment of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Rudower Chaussee 18, Berlin, Germany.
Julia KlawohnDepartment of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Rudower Chaussee 18, Berlin, Germany.
Anja RieselDepartment of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Rudower Chaussee 18, Berlin, Germany.
Katharina BeyDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, Bonn, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6392-4997
Michael WagnerDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, Bonn, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2589-6440
Norbert KathmannDepartment of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Rudower Chaussee 18, Berlin, Germany.

Funding

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation) GR4901/2-1Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation) HE7464/4-1Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation) KA815/6-1Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation) WA731/10-1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, CBT does not lead to a satisfying symptom reduction in a considerable number of patients with OCD. The identification of variables that predict insufficient treatment response could improve efficient treatment selection and inform the development of specific augmentative treatments. In the current study, we tested whether prediction of treatment response can be improved by including neurobiological markers during working memory (WM) performance. Forty-four patients with a primary OCD diagnosis participated in an n-back WM task with varying WM load while functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) was performed. Subsequently, all patients received CBT in an outpatient clinic. WM load-dependent modulation of the blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signal in a bilateral cluster in inferior/superior parietal lobule predicted CBT response over and above clinical and sociodemographic variables (p < 0.05). Higher modulation was associated with larger relative symptom reduction. The results of the current study indicate that the ability of the WM system to flexibly adapt to changing task demands might be a useful indicator of CBT response in OCD. Possibly, this mechanism facilitates relearning processes during exposure-based CBT. However, findings need to be replicated in larger samples.

Indexed as

BrainCognitive Behavioral TherapyMemory, Short-TermObsessive-Compulsive DisorderParietal LobeAdultFemaleHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleMiddle AgedTreatment OutcomeYoung Adult

Identifiers

PMID41115878
PMCPMC12537991

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.