OBS

The OBS (obsessive-compulsive brain signatures) study is an international multi-center study that is carried out in New York, Bangalore, Cape Town, Sao Paulo and Amsterdam and is funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH, United States of America). The departments of Anatomy and Neurosciences and Psychiatry of Amsterdam AMC/VUmc, in collaboration with GGZ InGeest, will be responsible for the inclusion and scanning of the Dutch patients and control subjects of this global study.

The aim of this worldwide project is to identify brain patterns (signatures) of OCD-related cognitive and clinical symptoms. To do so, 250 (50 from each study center) unmedicated adult OCD patients, 100-125 unaffected siblings, and 250 sex- and age-matched adult healthy controls, aged 18-50 years will be assessed. During the study we acquire clinical measures (on specific symptoms), neurocognitive profiles (performance on neuropsychological tests) and neuroimaging measures related to brain volume (white matter integrity and functional connectivity), using 3 Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).

Blair Simpson (USA) is PI and Odile van den Heuvel is site PI of the study, Niels de Joode is the PhD student on the project.
Other involved researchers are Chris Vriend, Ton van Balkom and Neeltje Batelaan.

Contact information:

Niels de Joode (PhD student): ocd-hersenonderzoek@vumc.nl