OCD's hidden impact, rewiring reward, error, and physical response systems are revealed here.
OCD disrupts the brain's reward circuitry, leading to temporary relief from anxiety through compulsions, despite minimal lasting satisfaction.
OCD can lead to a distorted perception of mistakes due to an overactive anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), fueling fear and intrusive thoughts.
Brain imaging shows that the struggle to resist, not the content, activates the OCD circuit, which can be shocking for those with intrusive thoughts.
OCD can create intense physical sensations linked to obsessions by heightening activity in the insula, a brain region integrating emotions and bodily feelings.
Brain scans suggest that the hippocampus, involved in memory formation and retrieval, may play a role in intrusive thoughts and compulsions.
Anxiety and OCD often coexist but Brain Imaging shows their differences in patterns and requires different treatments.