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Which brain region becomes especially hyperactive during symptom provocation in obsessive-compulsive disorder and is described as part of the circuit named after the disorder?
AThe locus coeruleus
BThe limbic system
CThe cerebral ventricles
DThe orbitofrontal cortex
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: D. The orbitofrontal cortex
1. The orbitofrontal cortex is an area of the frontal lobe involved in learning and decision-making.
2. In people with obsessive-compulsive disorder it becomes especially hyperactive when symptoms are provoked by tasks.
3. It belongs to a set of interconnected regions collectively called the obsessive-compulsive disorder circuit.
4. The locus coeruleus features in theories of panic disorder, so it is the closest distractor here.
5. These findings come from imaging studies, so the relationship is correlational and does not by itself prove causation.
_Source: OpenStax Psychology (1st ed., CC BY 4.0), Ch 15 "Psychological Disorders", section 15.5 Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders_
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