Sustained attention induces altered effective connectivity of the ascending thalamo-cortical relay in obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Abnormal function of the thalamo-cortical relay is considered a hallmark of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and aberrant network interactions may underpin many of the clinical and cognitive symptoms that characterize the disorder. Several statistical approaches have been applied to fMRI data to support the general loss of thalamo-cortical connectivity in OCD. However, (a) few studies have assessed the contextual constraints under which abnormal network interactions arise or (b) have used methods of connectivity to understand abnormal network interactions.