Developing Effective Response Inhibition Training for Symptom Relief in OCD and Trichotillomania

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and its related disorders (e.g., trichotillomania) are
characterized by the marked difficulty in inhibiting unwanted or inappropriate responses.
There is compelling evidence that poor response inhibition is a core cognitive feature of OCD
and its related disorders, but no effective intervention exists that directly attempts to
address this problematic cognitive deficiency. This study will examine the feasibility and
clinical utility of a computerized cognitive training program designed to improve response
inhibition among individuals diagnosed with OCD or trichotillomania.This training program
offers systematic practice of response inhibition in the form of a 40-level computer game.
Individuals with these conditions will be randomized to either 8 sessions of (a) computerized
response inhibition training (RIT) or (b) placebo computer training (PLT). We hypothesize
that RIT will outperform PLT in improving response inhibition capabilities and reducing
relevant clinical symptoms. In sum, this project is expected to generate important knowledge
to guide the development of effective computer-based treatment approaches that may help
reduce critical problems of existing treatments such as suboptimal patient retention and
treatment under-utilization, thereby improving overall treatment response rates among
individuals suffering from OCD and related conditions.