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Conflict monitoring and adaptation as reflected by N2 amplitude in obsessive–compulsive disorder

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 January 2017

A. Riesel ,
J. Klawohn ,
N. Kathmann  and
T. Endrass
A. Riesel*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
J. Klawohn
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
N. Kathmann
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
T. Endrass
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany Department of Psychology, Institute of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany Institute of Psychology, Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
*
*Address for correspondence: A. Riesel, Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Rudower Chaussee 18, 12489 Berlin, Germany. (Email: anja.riesel@hu-berlin.de)
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Abstract

Background

Feelings of doubt and perseverative behaviours are key symptoms of obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) and have been linked to hyperactive error and conflict signals in the brain. While enhanced neural correlates of error monitoring have been robustly shown, far less is known about conflict processing and adaptation in OCD.

Method

We examined event-related potentials during conflict processing in 70 patients with OCD and 70 matched healthy comparison participants, focusing on the stimulus-locked N2 elicited in a flanker task. Conflict adaptation was evaluated by analysing sequential adjustments in N2 and behaviour, i.e. current conflict effects as a function of preceding conflict.

Results

Patients with OCD showed enhanced N2 amplitudes compared with healthy controls. Further, patients showed stronger conflict adaptation effects on reaction times and N2 amplitude. Thus, the effect of previous compatibility was larger in patients than in healthy participants as indicated by greater N2 adjustments in change trials (i.e. iC, cI). As a result of stronger conflict adaptation in patients, N2 amplitudes were comparable between groups in incompatible trials following incompatible trials.

Conclusions

Larger N2 amplitudes and greater conflict adaptation in OCD point to enhanced conflict monitoring leading to increased recruitment of cognitive control in patients. This was most pronounced in change trials and was associated with stronger conflict adjustment in N2 and behaviour. Thus, hyperactive conflict monitoring in OCD may be beneficial in situations that require a high amount of control to resolve conflict, but may also reflect an effortful process that is linked to distress and symptoms of OCD.

Keywords

Conflict adaptationconflict monitoringerror-related negativityN2obsessive–compulsive disorder
Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 47 , Issue 8 , June 2017 , pp. 1379 - 1388
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

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