An Inner Look into the Minds and Brains of People with OCD
From: Scientific American Mind - 10/04/2017
By: Simon Makin

Complex computer modeling demonstrates that obsessive-compulsive disorder
patients learn about their environments but don’t use that information to
guide their actions

A new study published September 28 in Neuron uses mathematical modeling of
decision-making during a simple game to provide insight into what might be
going on. The game looked at a critical aspect of the way we perceive the
world. Normally, a person's confidence about their knowledge of the
surrounding environment guides their actions. "If I think it's going to rain,
I'm going to take an umbrella," says lead author Matilde Vaghi. The study
shows this link between belief and action is broken to some extent in people
with OCD. As a consequence, what they do conflicts with what they know. This
insight suggests compulsive behaviors are a core feature rather than merely a
consequence of obsessions or a result of inaccurate beliefs.

Read the entire article at:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/an-inner-look-into-the-minds-and-brains-of-people-with-ocd1

Link:
Compulsivity Reveals a Novel Dissociation between Action and Confidence
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0896627317308413