Researchers in the southern California area have published a number of studies that have increased our understanding of OCD and related disorders, as well as how best to treat them. For an idea of how these researchers have contributed to the field, see sample publications from different southern California research groups listed below. These publications are shared with other researchers and clinicians who treat OCD, allowing us to continue to make strides in understanding these disorders. Many of these studies were made possible by the individuals in our southern California community who chose to contribute their time and experience to this research!
San Diego State University
Amir, N., Kuckertz, J. M., Najmi, S., & Conley, S. L. (2015). Preliminary Evidence for the Enhancement of self-conducted exposures for OCD using cognitive bias modification. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 39, 424-440. doi: 10.1007/s10608-015-9675-7
Riemann, B. C., Kuckertz, J. M., Rozenman, M., Weersing, V. R. & Amir, N. (2013). Augmentation of youth cognitive behavioral and pharmacological interventions with attention modification: A preliminary investigation. Depression and Anxiety, 30, 822-828. doi:10.1002/da.22127
Amir, N., Kuckertz, J. M. & Najmi, S. (2013). The effect of modifying automatic avoidance tendencies on overt avoidance behaviors. Emotion, 13, 478-484. doi:10.1037/a0030443
Kuckertz, J. M., Amir, N., Tobin, A. C. & Najmi, S. (2013). Interpretation of ambiguity in individuals with obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 37, 232-241. doi:10.1007/s10608-012-9478-z
Najmi, S., Kuckertz, J. M., & Amir, N. (2010). Automatic avoidance tendencies in individuals with contamination-related obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 48, 1058-1062. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2010.06.007
University of California, San Diego
Ayers, C.R, Dozier, M.E, Twamley, E.T., Granholm, E., Saxena, S., Mayes, T.L., & Wetherell, J.L. (in press). Cognitive Rehabilitation and Exposure/Sorting Therapy for Hoarding Disorder among older adults: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.
Sumner, J. M., Noack, C., Filoteo, V., Maddox, W. T., Saxena, S. (2016). Neurocognitive performance in unmedicated patients with hoarding disorder. Neuropsychology, 30(2), 157-168.
Ayers, C.R., Dozier, M.E., Wetherell, J.L., Twamley, E.W., & Schiehser, D.M. (2016). Executive functioning in participants over age of 50 with hoarding disorder. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 24(5):342
Dozier, M.E., Porter, B., & Ayers, C.R. (2015). Age of onset and progression of hoarding symptoms in older adults with hoarding disorder. Aging and Mental Health, 20, 736-742.
Ayers, C.R., Dozier, M.E., Espejo, E., Mayes, T., Iqbal, Y., Strickland, K., & Wilson, A. (2015). Treatment recruitment and retention of geriatric participants with Hoarding Disorder. Clinical Gerontologist, 38, 235-250.
Ayers, C.R. & Dozier, M.E. (2015). Predictors of hoarding severity in older adults with hoarding disorder. International Psychogeriatrics, 27, 1147-1156.
Saxena, S., Ayers, C. R., Dozier, M. E., & Maidment, K. M. (2015). The UCLA hoarding severity scale: development and validation. Journal of Affective Disorders, 175, 488-493.
Saxena, S., & Sumner, J. (2014). Venlafaxine extended-release treatment of hoarding disorder. International Clinical Psychopharmacology, 29(5), 266.
Saxena, S. (2011). Pharmacotherapy of compulsive hoarding. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 67(5), 477-484.
University of Southern California
Wu, M. S., Pinto, A., Horng, B., Phares, V., McGuire, J. F., Dedrick, R. F., Van Noppen, B., Calvocoressi, L., & Storch, E. A. (2016). Psychometric properties of the Family Accommodation Scale for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder – Patient Version. Psychological Assessment, 28(3), 251-262.
Sassano, S., Sapp, F., Van Noppen, B (2015). Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. APA Journal Focus, 13 (2).
Gomes, J., Van Noppen, B., Pato, M., Braga, D., Meyer, E., Boroncello, C., Cordioli, A. (2014) Patient and family factors associated with family accommodation in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 68, 621-630.
Pinto, A., Van Noppen, B., & Calvocoressi, L. (2013). Development and preliminary psychometric evaluation of a self-rated version of the Family Accommodation Scale for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders. Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders, 2. 457-465.
Van Noppen, B. & Steketee, G. (2009). Testing a conceptual model of patient and family predictors of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) symptoms, Behavior Research and Therapy, 47, 18-25.
University of California, Los Angeles
O’Neill, J., Piacentini, J., Chang, S., Ly, R., Lai, T., Armstrong, C., …, McCracken J., & Nurmi, E. (2017). Glutamate in pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder and response to cognitive-behavioral therapy: Randomized clinical trial. Neuropsychopharmacology, 42, 2414-2422.
Peris, T., Rozenman, M., Sugar, C., McCracken, J., & Piacentini, J. (2017). Targeted family intervention for complex cases of pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 56, 1034-1042.
Ricketts, E., Snorrason, I., Rozenman, M., Colwell, C., McCracken, J., & Piacentini, J. (2017). Sleep functioning in adults with trichotillomania (hair-pulling disorder), excoriation (skin-picking) disorder, and a non-affected comparison sample, Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders, 13, 49-57.
McGuire, J., Wu, M., Piacentini, J., McCracken, J., & Storch, E. (2017) A meta-analysis of D-cycloserine in exposure-based treatment: Moderators of treatment efficacy, response, and diagnostic remission, Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 78, 196-206
Rozenman, M., Peris, T., Bergman, R.L., Chang, S., O’Neill, J., McCracken, J., Piacentini, J. (2017). Distinguishing fear versus distress symptomatology in pediatric OCD. Child Psychiatry Human Development, 48, 63-72
Peris, T., O’Neill, J., Rozenman, M., Bergnman, R.L., Chang, S, & Piacentini, J. (2017) Developmental and clinical predictors of comorbidity for youth with obsessive compulsive disorder, Journal of Psychiatric Research, 93, 72-78
Armstrong, C., Moody, T., Feusner, J., McCracken, J., Chang, S., Levitt, J., Piacentini, J., O’Neill, J. (2016). Graph-theoretical analysis of resting-state fMRI in pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder, Journal of Affective Disorders 193, 175-184
Wu, M., Pinto, A., Horng, B., Phares, V., McGuire, J., Dedrick, R., Van Noppen, B., Calvocoressi, L., & Storch, E. A. (2016). Psychometric properties of the Family Accommodation Scale for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder – Patient Version, Psychological Assessment, 28, 251-262.
Rapp, A., Bergman. R.L., Piacentini, J., McGuire, J. (2016). Evidence-based assessment of obsessive compulsive disorder, Journal of Central Nervous System Disease, 8, 13-29
Rozenman, M., Peris, T. S., Gonzalez, A., & Piacentini, J. (2016). Clinical characteristics of pediatric trichotillomania: Comparisons with obsessive–compulsive and tic disorders, Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 47, 124-132.
McGuire, J., Orr, S., Essoe, J. K-Y., McCracken, J., Storch, E., & Piacentini, J. (2016). Extinction learning in childhood anxiety disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder: implications for treatment, Experimental Review of Neurotherapeutics, 16, 1155-1174.
Kircanski, K., Wu, M., Piacentini, J. (2014). Reduction of subjective distress in CBT for childhood OCD: Nature of change, predictors, and relation to treatment outcome, Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 28, 125-132
McGuire, J., Piacentini, J., Lewin, A., Brennan, E., Murphy, T., & Storch, E. (2015). A meta-analysis of cognitive behavior therapy and medication for child obsessive compulsive disorder: Moderators of treatment efficacy, response, and remission. Depression and Anxiety, 32, 580-593.
De Nadai A, Nagpal P, Piacentini J, Peris T, Geffken G, Geller D, Murphy T, Storch E, Lewin A. (2015). Contemporary models of pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder: An evaluation with a large clinical sample. Psychiatry Research, 229, 620-622
Chu, B., Colognori, D., Yang, G., Xie, M., Bergman, R.L., Piacentini, J. (2015). Exposure therapy mediators in youth obsessive-compulsive disorder: Specificity and temporal sequence of client and treatment factors, Behavior Therapy, 46, 395-408
Lewin, A., Piacentini, J., De Nadai, A., Jones, A., Peris, T., Geffken, G., Geller, D., Nadeau, J., Murphy, T., Storch, E. (2014). Defining clinical severity in pediatric obsessive compulsive disorder, Psychological Assessment, 26, 679-84.
Piacentini, J., Bergman, R. L., Chang, S., Langley, A., Peris, T., Wood, J., & McCracken, J. (2011). Controlled comparison of family cognitive behavioral therapy and psychoeducation /relaxation training for child obsessive-compulsive disorder. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 50, 1149-1161.
Langley, A., Lewin, A., Bergman, R.L., Lee, J., & Piacentini, J. (2010). Correlates of comorbid anxiety and externalizing disorders in childhood obsessive compulsive disorder. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 19, 637–645.
Chang, S. W., McCracken J. T., & Piacentini, J. (2007). Neurocognitive correlates of child obsessive compulsive disorder and Tourette syndrome. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 29, 724-733.