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Watching the brain and body during OCD triggers: a window into the disorder

NCT ID NCT03459456

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: Baylor College of Medicine Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing This study
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Sep 02, 2026 · Last updated Sep 03, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine are studying how brain activity and visible behaviors, like head movements, facial expressions, and voice tone, change during tasks that trigger OCD symptoms. Adults with OCD and healthy volunteers will complete tasks that provoke distress, anxiety, or compulsive rituals while their brain signals and heart rate are recorded. The goal is to see whether automated behavior tracking can align with brain recordings to better understand OCD in real-world situations.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
Behavioral tasks that provoke OCD-related distress, anxiety, and rituals
What this could lead to
If successful, this could help identify brain and behavioral markers that track OCD symptoms, potentially guiding future treatments or monitoring tools.
What could go wrong
This is a small observational study, so findings may not apply broadly. It does not test a treatment, so it will not directly change patient care.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Participants

About 27 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Jun 2018

Expected to finish

Jul 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Who is studied

The primary source of OCD subjects will be self-referrals generated through BCM Clinicaltrials website, Clinicaltrials.gov, and BCM Psychiatry Clinic. The investigators also anticipate referrals from local area clinicians in addition to affiliate entities.

Ages

21 to 70 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: OCD subjects: * The subject has a minimum score of ≥16 on the Y-BOCS; * If applicable, on a stable pharmacologic regimen; * Sample will be enriched with OCD subjects having contamination obsessions and handwashing compulsions, and scores on items 9 and 10 of the Y-BOCS reflecting difficulty resisting and controlling compulsions; Healthy Control Subjects: * Men and women will be age/gender matched with subjects * Absence of any psychiatric disorder determined by the MINI\^53 for DSM-5 with the exception of non-impairing specific phobia. * Low scores on measures of contamination concerns and disgust sensitivity based on Y-BOCS scores below 10 and the Disgust Scale-Revised (total score \<8). Exclusion Criteria: OCD Subjects: * Subject has a documented lifetime diagnosis of psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia; * Alcohol or substance abuse/dependence reported within 6 months, excluding nicotine; * The subject is deemed at high risk of suicidal behavior or impulsivity. The Beck Depression Inventory\^52 (BDI) will be completed by all subjects and responses reviewed by a clinician. Healthy Control Subjects: \- Those not meeting the inclusion criteria described in the inclusion section above.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

obsessive-compulsive disorder obsessive-compulsive personality disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder OCD

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Baylor College of Medicine

    Houston, Texas, 77030, United States

  • Brown University

    Providence, Rhode Island, 02912, United States

  • University of Pittsburgh

    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15260, United States

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