Could Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Join the Therapeutic Armamentarium in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder?

摘要

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental disorder that can affect around 1–3% of individuals [ , ]. It is characterized by recurrent intrusive unwanted thoughts, ideas, urges, or images (i.e., obsessions) and/or repetitive mental acts or behaviors (i.e., compulsions) that occur in an attempt to neutralize obsessions, or according to rigid rules. Interestingly, various symptom dimensions of OCD could exist (e.g., symmetry, contamination, aggressive/sexual/religious obsessions); they might have specific neurobiological substrates and may be associated with different response to treatment [ , ]. OCD symptoms cause severe distress, drastically affect social, professional, or other relevant domains, and compromise the quality of life. OCD seems to have a bimodal age of onset (i.e., a first peak in late childhood/early adolescence and another peak in early adulthood) and a continuous symptomatology in most of patients, with a waxing and waning pattern observed in around 25% of patients [ ].