320. PRELIMINARY STUDY ON VISUOSPATIAL IMPAIRMENT EXAMINED BY EYE TRACKING IN PATIENTS WITH OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER

Abstract Background Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is characterized by persistent obsessions and compulsions that significantly impair daily functioning. Neuropsychological research in OCD has pointed out deficits in executive functions such as visuomotor coordination and set-shifting. Recent advancements in eye-tracking technology have enhanced the understanding of visual cognitive impairments in psychiatric disorders through eye tracking. However, there are few eye-tracking studies in OCD, with those combining visual cognitive assessment. Aims & Objectives This study aims to examine visuospatial cognitive characteristics in OCD by examining eye tracking during visuomotor coordination tasks compared with healthy controls. Method We included six patients diagnosed with OCD according to DSM-5(Diagnostic Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, fifth edition) criteria who were admitted to our hospital. The control group comprised six age- and sex-matched healthy participants. Visuospatial cognitive function was assessed using the Step Ramp Task, Rapid Automatized Naming Task (RAN task), MNREAD-J(Minnesota Reading Acuity Charts Japanese version), Trail Making Test (TMT), Picture Completion Task, and Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test. During the tasks, eye movement was tracked using the Tobii Pro Fusion eye tracker. OCD severity and symptom dimensions were evaluated using the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS). The study received approval from the Ethics Committee of Hyogo Medical University (Approval No. 4682). Results The average Y-BOCS score for the OCD group was 19.3 ± 10.0. Compared to controls, the OCD group took significantly longer to complete the RAN task, specifically for the number condition (24.9 ± 12.8 vs. 11.6 ± 3.6, p = 0.02), color condition (20.1 ± 2.7 vs. 17.6 ± 1.2, p = 0.04), letter condition (18.3 ± 6.5 vs. 11.6 ± 1.9, p = 0.03), and picture condition (27.7 ± 5.5 vs. 21.6 ± 2.2, p = 0.02). In the line drawing condition, the OCD group also showed significantly more fixations (71.3 ± 12.1 vs. 58.2 ± 7.0, p = 0.03) and regressions (3.5 ± 2.1 vs. 1.3 ± 0.9, p = 0.03). TNT results showed the OCD group took significantly longer (1.5 ± 0.1) compared to controls (1.0 ± 0.1, p = 0.006). Discussion & Conclusions OCD patients exhibited longer completion times in the RAN task and more frequent fixations and regressions in the picture condition compared to healthy controls. These findings align with previous studies identifying deficits in visuomotor coordination. The results of eye-tracking revealed that lower task performance in visuospatial cognitive tasks may not solely stem from cognitive dysfunction but could also be attributed to abnormalities in eye movement. The RAN task evaluates the semantic processing of visual information, along with visuospatial motor flexibility. The findings from the RAN task in this study emphasize the importance of visual cognitive inflexibility and dysfunction of visuomotor-coordination on understanding OCD. Furthermore, these impairments may also suggest that both visuospatial deficits and eye movement irregularities could be related to the underlying pathophysiology of OCD, either primarily or secondarily. Future studies with larger sample sizes are essential to validate these findings and further elucidate their clinical implications.