Authors: Emily R. Stern; Goi Khia Eng; Alessandro S. De Nadai; Dan V. Iosifescu; Russell H. Tobe; Katherine A. Collins · Research
How Does Repetitive Negative Thinking Impact Brain Function in OCD?
Study examines how persistent negative thoughts relate to brain connectivity patterns and symptoms in obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Source: Stern, E. R., Eng, G. K., De Nadai, A. S., Iosifescu, D. V., Tobe, R. H., & Collins, K. A. (2022). Imbalance between default mode and sensorimotor connectivity is associated with perseverative thinking in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Translational Psychiatry, 12(1), 19. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-022-01780-w
What you need to know
- People with OCD show wide variation in how much they experience persistent negative thoughts, with some having very high levels and others having levels similar to people without OCD
- Higher levels of persistent negative thinking were linked to specific OCD symptoms, particularly unwanted thoughts about taboo topics like sex, religion, or violence
- Brain scans showed that more persistent thinking was associated with stronger connectivity in regions involved in self-focused thought and weaker connectivity in regions involved in sensory and movement processing
Understanding Repetitive Negative Thinking
Repetitive negative thinking refers to thoughts that:
- Keep coming back over and over
- Feel intrusive and hard to control
- Focus on negative topics about oneself, the past, or future
- Can become “stuck” and difficult to shift away from
While everyone experiences negative thoughts sometimes, excessive repetitive thinking is common across many mental health conditions, including OCD, anxiety, and depression.
How Common is it in OCD?
The researchers found that people with OCD varied considerably in how much repetitive thinking they experienced. Some reported very high levels, while others had levels similar to people without OCD.
Higher levels of repetitive thinking were most strongly linked to OCD symptoms involving unwanted, intrusive thoughts about taboo topics like:
- Sexual thoughts
- Religious concerns
- Violent images
- Moral concerns
These types of symptoms are sometimes called “pure obsessions” because they involve more mental rituals rather than physical compulsions like checking or washing.
What the Brain Scans Revealed
Using functional MRI brain scans, the researchers found that more repetitive thinking was linked to:
- Stronger connectivity in brain regions involved in:
- Self-focused thought
- Processing emotions
- Autobiographical memory
- Thinking about the past and future
- Weaker connectivity in regions involved in:
- Processing sensory information from the body
- Movement and motor control
- Physical actions
Conclusions
- Repetitive negative thinking varies widely among people with OCD and is most strongly linked to symptoms involving unwanted intrusive thoughts
- Brain scans suggest it involves an imbalance between networks involved in internal mental processes versus external sensory and motor processes
- Understanding these brain patterns could help develop more targeted treatments for people with high levels of repetitive thinking