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Although obsessive-compulsive disorder is highly heritable, our understanding of the precise nature of inherited vulnerabilities in this somewhat heterogeneous group of disorders is poor. Patients with OCD have been described as having behavioral endophenotypes that consist of decreased cognitive flexibility and increased motor impulsivity and that are related to the integrity of frontostriatal pathways. To assess whether these endophenotypes are familial, investigators examined 20 individuals with OCD and predominant washing/checking symptoms, 20 of their unaffected first-degree relatives, and 20 controls.
Groups were matched for age, IQ, and sex. Assessments included neuropsychological test batteries and the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive…