hoarding/stealing/utilization behavior etc

[bak...@yahoo.com]

Here is another research related to hoarding and this is from Saxena:=0A=
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http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/161/6/1038=0A=
Cerebral Glucose Metabolism in Obsessive-Compulsive Hoarding=0A=
Sanjaya Saxena, M.D., Arthur L. Brody, M.D., Karron M. Maidment, R.N.,=0A=
M.F.T., Erlyn C. Smith, B.S., Narineh Zohrabi, B.S., Elyse Katz, B.S.,=0A=
Stephanie K. Baker, B.S., and Lewis R. Baxter, Jr., M.D.=0A=
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In the conclusion it says:=0A=
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CONCLUSIONS: OCD patients with the compulsive hoarding syndrome had a=0A=
different pattern of cerebral glucose metabolism than nonhoarding OCD=0A=
patients and comparison subjects. Obsessive-compulsive hoarding may be=0A=
a neurobiologically distinct subgroup or variant of OCD whose symptoms=0A=
and poor response to anti-obsessional treatment are mediated by lower=0A=
activity in the cingulate cortex.=0A=
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This preliminary study had several limitations that reduced its power=0A=
and generalizability. Because the original study was designed to=0A=
compare OCD to major depressive disorder and normal comparison subjects=0A=
=97not to examine OCD symptom factors=97the analysis of hoarders and=0A=
nonhoarders was a post hoc exploratory analysis. Hoarders and=0A=
nonhoarders were classified retrospectively. No standardized or=0A=
validated measurements of hoarding severity were used. Compulsive=0A=
hoarders were significantly older than nonhoarders and comparison=0A=
subjects, so all analyses had to covary for age. In addition, the use=0A=
of two different PET scanners also required analyses to covary for=0A=
scanner type and could have caused artifactual results. The addition=0A=
of multiple covariates may have decreased the statistical power for=0A=
finding significant differences among groups. Our results will require=0A=
replication in a new group of compulsive hoarders and age- and sex-=0A=
matched groups of normal comparison subjects and nonhoarding OCD=0A=
patients who are defined prospectively.=0A=
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Comment: I have doubts about this research as well and it is already=0A=
outlined above. This study involves OCD and it had already been=0A=
established that OCD patients have very high activity in the orbito-=0A=
frontal and other frontal regions. Also, this study does not include=0A=
patients who are typical hoarders (without the OCD). However, I wanted=0A=
to post this because it shows that hoarders don=92t have a brain injury=0A=
as stated by Anderson et all in =93A neural basis for collecting=0A=
behavior in humans=94. If they (hoarders) had problems (specifically=0A=
damage in the right frontal region) then it would have showed up in=0A=
PET and MRI. Maybe we need to test hoarders only (without OCD as=0A=
suggested) to find out if they have normal brains scans or not. I=0A=
doubt if that would make ay difference.=0A=
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