A network perspective on cognitive function and obsessive-compulsive related symptoms

The relationship between cognitive function and psychopathological symptoms has been an important research field in recent years. Previous studies have typically applied case-control designs to explore differences in certain cognitive variables. Multivariate analyses are needed to deepen our understanding of the intercorrelations among cognitive and symptom phenotypes in OCD. The present study used network analysis to construct networks of cognitive variables and OCD-related symptoms in patients with OCD and healthy controls (N = 226), aiming to explore the relationship among numerous cognitive function variables and OCD-related symptoms in detail and compare the network features between the two groups. In the network of cognitive function and OCD-related symptoms, nodes representing IQ, letter/number span test, accuracy of task switching test and obsession were much important in the network in terms of their larger strengths and edges. By constructing the networks of these two groups respectively, there was a strong similarity except that the symptom's network in healthy group had a higher degree of overall connectivity. Due to the small sample size, the stability of the network cannot be guaranteed. Due to the cross-sectional nature of the data, we were unable to determine how the cognitive-symptom network would change with disease deterioration or treatment. The present study highlights the important role of variables such as obsession and IQ from a network perspective. These results deepen our understanding of the multivariate relationship between cognitive dysfunction and OCD symptoms, and may promote the prediction and diagnosis of OCD. •Nodes representing measues like obsession are much important in the network of cognitive function and OCD-related symptoms.•Cognitive function, especially cognitive flexibility, is related to OCD-related symptoms.•There is a strong structural similarity between the networks of the OCD group and the healthy group, while the connectivity exists differences.