Brain training to help stop compulsive behaviors
Official title: Neural Mechanisms of Response Inhibition Training for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Related Conditions
Funded at University of Wisconsin Milwaukee · NIH-11178431 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project tests a computerized brain-training program for adults with OCD, hair-pulling, or skin-picking to help them better stop unwanted urges.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Wisconsin Milwaukee NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Milwaukee, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2022 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $790,587 |
| NIH project number | 5R33MH125127-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11178431 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults diagnosed with OCD, trichotillomania (hair-pulling), or skin-picking disorder who can attend in-person visits and complete computerized tasks and MRI scans are ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People who are unable or unwilling to undergo MRI scanning, who are under 21, or whose primary problems are not compulsive action tendencies may not benefit from this specific training.
What this research studies
You would be asked to complete a computerized response inhibition training (RIT) or a placebo training while researchers measure your brain activity before and after the training. Adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder, trichotillomania (hair-pulling), or skin-picking disorder are randomly assigned to RIT or a control condition. The team uses a go/no-go task and MRI to see whether RIT increases activation in a brain area called the right inferior frontal cortex (rIFC) that helps stop automatic behaviors. The first phase (R61) tests whether the training changes that brain signal in 48 participants, and later phases will test whether those brain changes link to symptom improvements.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could become a non-drug, brain-based training that reduces compulsive urges by strengthening the brain systems that stop unwanted actions.
How similar studies have gone: Related cognitive training and go/no-go approaches have shown mixed early results, and this specific response inhibition training is relatively new and being directly tested for its brain and symptom effects.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Wisconsin Milwaukee
Milwaukee, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lee, Han Joo — University of Wisconsin Milwaukee
- Study coordinator: Lee, Han Joo
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.