Endogenous Functional Organization and Clinical Extension of a Cross-Species Model of Persistent Avoidance in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

OCD is characterized by persistent avoidance behaviors in the absence of actual threat. Quality of life costs and heterogeneity in OCD support the need for identification of novel targets for brain-behavior-based interventions. In rodent models, persistent avoidance is linked to altered communication within a distinct cortico-amygdala-striatal circuit. As a first step towards translation, we aimed to characterize/compare the endogenous functional organization of this circuit in participants with and without OCD. We predicted that there would be altered connectivity between either the vlPFC—ACC or ACC—BLA in OCD.