What this Trial Is About

Researchers are studying people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and healthy individuals to understand the psychological and brain processes involved in managing emotions. The study focuses on how emotion regulation relates to OCD and aims to evaluate an internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT) to see if it helps improve these processes and reduce OCD symptoms. The research also seeks to find biological markers that predict successful treatment. Participants include 60 OCD patients and 60 healthy controls, recruited in Braga, Portugal. OCD patients are randomly assigned either to receive a structured iCBT program consisting of 10 online modules with text and video content plus 3 video psychotherapy sessions, or to a waiting list control group. The study uses brain imaging during emotion regulation tasks before and after the intervention to compare brain activity patterns and assess changes. During the study, all participants undergo detailed psychological and clinical assessments. OCD patients complete symptom severity scales and emotion regulation evaluations immediately before and after the intervention or waiting period. Brain imaging data is collected to compare activation patterns related to emotion regulation. The main outcome measured is the change in OCD symptoms using the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS). This comprehensive approach helps assess both clinical improvements and underlying brain changes linked to treatment.

ITreatOCD: Predicting the Efficacy of Internet-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Obsessive-compulsive Disorder