Obsessive-compulsive Disorder: cortico-striatal alterations and beyond

Obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD, is a disabling condition affecting between 1.5-3% of the world population. Despite being a disorder comparatively less studied than other disorders of mental health, research on its biological bases of OCD has made significant progress in the last years, allowing the formulation of neurobiological models that have had some influence on the clinical management of patients. We will review the most influential neurobiological models of OCD, mostly centered on alterations in cortico-striatal loops but in which the potential role of alterations in other brain areas has been increasingly acknowledged. We will present the latest results in the field and describe how treatments for OCD are already benefiting from this knowledge