The authors administered CAT scans and neuropsychological tests to 16
adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder (mean age +/- SD = 13.7 +/-
1.6 years) and 16 matched controls. The patients had a mean
ventricular-brain ratio (VBR) significantly higher than the controls' and
showed spatial-perceptual deficits similar to those found in patients with
frontal lobe lesions. Memory, reaction time, and decision time did not
differ significantly from controls'. Neurodevelopmental examination of
seven patients yielded a high frequency of age- inappropriate synkinesias
and left hemibody signs. These results suggest CNS dysfunctioning in
children with obsessive-compulsive disorder, with possible right cerebral
involvement. However, the patients' neuropsychological test deficits and
VBRs were not correlated.Abstract Teaser