How the brain handles efforts to neutralize perceived threats in OCD
Official title: Neurology of Effortful Neutralization of Threat in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Funded at Laureate Institute for Brain Research · NIH-11145210 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how people with OCD's brains act when they try to neutralize or avoid perceived threats that trigger compulsions.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Laureate Institute for Brain Research NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Tulsa, United States) |
| Project start | September 15, 2017 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $303,119 |
| NIH project number | 5P20GM121312-08 |
| Project ID | NIH-11145210 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults diagnosed with OCD who experience compulsions related to threat or avoidance and who can safely undergo MRI scanning are the ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People without OCD, those whose symptoms are unrelated to threat‑based compulsions, or anyone unable to have an MRI (for example due to metal implants or severe claustrophobia) may not benefit directly from participation.
What this research studies
If you have OCD, this work looks at how your brain responds when you try to neutralize or avoid things that feel threatening and lead to compulsions. Researchers use behavioral tasks that mimic active and passive avoidance while measuring brain activity with functional MRI. They will compare people with OCD to others to link specific brain patterns in cortico‑striato‑thalamo‑cortical circuits to compulsive actions. The aim is to find neural mechanisms that could guide more targeted ways to treat compulsions.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could point to specific brain circuits behind compulsions and help develop more targeted treatments for OCD.
How similar studies have gone: Prior neuroimaging has shown abnormal cortico‑striatal activity in OCD but findings are mixed, so focusing specifically on threat‑neutralization and avoidance circuits is a newer, promising approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Laureate Institute for Brain Research
Tulsa, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Berg, Hannah E — Laureate Institute for Brain Research
- Study coordinator: Berg, Hannah E
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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.