The relationship between cognitive inhibition and intrusive thoughts.

摘要

Cognitive behavioral models of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) suggest that certain types of beliefs combined with the use of maladaptive coping strategies, such as thought suppression, lead to the development of OCD. Neurobiological models of OCD have emphasized abnormalities in cortical-striatal-thalamic-cortical circuits and suggest that inhibitory deficits may play a role in the relationship between neurological dysregulation and OCD symptomatology. The purpose of the current investigation was to integrate both models by examining the relationship between cognitive inhibition and intrusive thoughts in a non-clinical sample of 100 undergraduate students. Study 1 examined the relationships between two hypothesized measures of cognitive inhibition (the OAT and Stroop task), a self-report measure of executive function, and intrusive thoughts during thought suppression and thought monitoring tasks. Results showed that individuals with better self-reported executive function experienced a shorter total duration of intrusive thoughts on both tasks. The OAT and Stroop tasks did not demonstrate significant relationships with task performance. Study 2 examined the impact of a brief attention training task on performance during thought suppression and monitoring tasks, but the results were not significant. The results of these studies offer initial evidence that executive function deficits may play a role in the development of OCD symptoms. Additional findings, limitations of the current study, and directions for future research are discussed.