Browsing by Author "Jackson, Michelle"

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    Overactive conflict-monitoring and separation-distress : cognitive and affective components of obsessive-compulsive disorder ?
    (2006) Jackson, Michelle; Solms, Mark
    This study was designed to investigate the interrelation between cognition and affect inobsessive-compulsiveness/Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Based on established empirical evidence that hyperactive conflict-monitoring is highly correlated both with hyperactivity in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and with symptom severity in OCD- and therefore that overactive conflict-monitoring can be conceptualized as a possible mechanism of the disorder - it was hypothesized that hyperactivity of the PANIC/separation-distress emotion system in the brain (which is largely localized in the ACC) would co-vary with conflict-monitoring levels in people with tendencies towards OCD and thus could be considered the correlate of OCD in the affective sphere. Two questionnaires (the Meta-Cognitions Questionnaire and the Padua Inventory) were used to position a non-clinical, college sample of 1119 participants in terms of their tendency towards obsessive-compulsiveness. The top 21 and bottom 20 scorers were then tested to gauge their levels of cognitive conflict-monitoring and separation-distress. Independent-test analysis revealed that the two groups differed significantly on scores of separation distress(as well as on the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales subscales ANGER,FEAR and PLAY), whilst there was no significant difference in the group scores for conflict-monitoring. Correlational analyses revealed no significant relationships between any of the nine OCD questionnaire factors and conflict-monitoring; similar analyses emphasized differences found for separation-distress scores and provided further, detailed description of relationships between the OCD questionnaire factors and this affective aspect. Implications for neuropsychology are that separation-distress seems likely to be a pivotal emotion involved in OCD.
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    Separation-distress as an affective mechanism of OCD
    (2009) Jackson, Michelle; Solms, Mark
    In this thesis, a series of four studies were carried out to address the question of whether separation distress (the associated feeling state of the basic emotion substrate PANIC; Panksepp, 1998) is a significant constituent of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). The aim was to characterize more accurately the affective nature of the disorder. Separation-distress and separation trauma were examined in samples of people with high scores on measures of obsessionality and low mood, and in patients with clinical OCD and depression; as well as in control groups. The Meta-Cognitions Questionnaire (Cartwright-Hatton & Wells, 1997) Padua Inventory (Sanavio, 1988), Major Depression Inventory (Olsen, Jensen, Noerholm, Martiny, & Bech, 2003) and Positive and Negative Affect Scales (Watson, Clark, & Tellegen, 1988) were used to position participants from low- to high-scoring on spectrums of obsessionality and low mood (Studies I and II) and of OCD and depression (Studies III and IV). Participants were then evaluated on measures of separation-distress, using the Separation Anxiety Symptom Inventory (Silove et al., 1993), the Structured Clinical Interview for Separation Anxiety Symptoms (Cyranowski et al., 2002), the Adult Separation Anxiety Checklist (Manicavasagar, Silove, Wagner, & Drobny, 2003) and the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales (Davis, Panksepp, & Normansell, 2003). Descriptive and inferential statistics, including correlational analysis, independent and dependent t tests and mediation, confirmed that separation-distress is significantly and consistently higher in those who score higher on obsessionality and low mood, as well as in patients with OCD and depression. Heightened separation-distress is therefore strongly implicated in both OCD and depression. It was also found to be a critical variable in the well-recognized comorbidity of the two disorders. Chisquare contingency analysis was performed on the categorical data collected for early separation trauma experiences. The results showed that the development of OCD and/or depression in adulthood is highly contingent on the experience of separation trauma during critical early life periods. The main hypothesis, that separation-distress is a central affective mechanism of OCD, was confirmed.