Study of insight in patients with obsessive compulsive disorder and its relation to executive functions and serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor

Abstract

Background: Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is usually associated with insight’s heterogeneity, and those with poor insight showed lower BDNF and cognitive deficiencies. The aim was to detect the relation between insight to executive dysfunction and BDNF. Materials and methods: Forty patients diagnosed with OCD and forty matched healthy controls. Also, both poor and good insight groups (assessed by The Brown Assessment of Belief Scale) were compared as regard Trail Making Test and serum level of BDNF). Results: OCD patients group gave a significant worse performance in TMT and lower BDNF serum level than healthy control. Also, OCD patients with poor insight had lower BDNF level than patients with good to fair insight. ROC curve analysis confirmed that BDNF is a valuable diagnostic biomarker of insight in patients with OCD with 100% sensitivity and 72.41% specificity, p value < 0.001. Insight of OCD patients was not significantly associated with executive dysfunction detected by Trail Making Test. Conclusions: OCD patients with poor insight had longer duration of illness, severe OCD symptoms, lower serum BDNF level, and longer time on TMTA-B than good insight patients. BDNF is a valuable diagnostic biomarker of insight in patients with OCD.