The role of orbitofrontal cortex in processing empathy stories in 4- to 8-year-old children.

This study investigates the neuronal correlates of empathic processing in children aged 4-8 years, an age range discussed to be crucial for the development of empathy. Empathy, defined as the ability to understand and share another person's inner life, consists of two components: affective (emotion-sharing) and cognitive empathy (Theory of Mind). We examined the hemodynamic responses of preschool and school children (N = 48), while they processed verbal (auditory) and non-verbal (cartoons) empathy stories in a passive following paradigm, using functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy.

Dissociation as a predictor of cognitive behavior therapy outcome in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Background: Previous studies have found a strong association between dissociation and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The purpose of the present study was to evaluate whether dissociation is a predictor of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) outcome in patients with OCD.

Methods: Fifty-two patients with OCD were assessed using the Dissociative Experience Scale (DES), the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale and the Beck Depression Inventory.

Dissociation and symptom dimensions of obsessive-compulsive disorder. A replication study.

Background: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a phenotypically very heterogeneous disease with high rates of comorbid psychiatric pathology. Previous studies have indicated that OCD is associated with higher levels of dissociation. The aims of the present study were to replicate and extend previous findings of a significant link between certain OCD symptom dimensions and dissociation.