The National Institute of Mental Health Research Studies Report

Topics: Health, Mental Health Words: 849 Pages: 3

Methodological Similarities within Interventional Category

A review and analysis of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) research database on the Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) topic revealed several interesting features. For example, studies of interventional and observational models are equally represented. A number of similarities were noted within the interventional category. Many of the nuances of research design, such as allocation, intervention model, and masking, are present both in Pittenger’s (2019) research and in Rodriguez’s (2020) research. Significant differences are the primary purposes, the estimated number of participants and the duration of the study. Both investigators considered both healthy and non-healthy volunteers as participants. These two studies also have shared and separate inclusive and exclusive criteria for participants and patients. It is also important to note that during interventional research models, researchers interact only with adult participants.

Methodological Similarities and Differences within Observational Category

The structural resemblances in the category of observational studies are mostly absent. Differences exist in terms of observational models, time perspectives, sampling methods, and the estimated duration of the study. Of the similarities, it can be seen that Buckley (2020) and Konrad (2020) do not consider healthy volunteers as a group for observation. It is also noticeable that both studies involve children, adults, and older adults.

Methodological Differences between Interventional and Observational Category

Due to the methodologies chosen, it is clear that there are structural differences that are also present between the two categories of studies. It applies to both the participating groups and the parameters of inclusiveness and exclusivity. Interventional studies take into account the participation of healthy volunteers and the results of their testing, while observational studies do not consider them at all. It is worth noting the permissible age requirement of both categories where intervention work does not affect the children’s population group. The average estimated duration of the study is also different. Duration of intervention studies varies from five (Pittenger, 2019) to seven (Rodriguez, 2020) years, while observational studies take from ten (Buckley, 2020) to seventeen (Konrad, 2020) years. It is also worth noting that intervention studies more often use different scales and rankings.

Conclusion

This paper reviews and explores the NIMH research database on the topic of OCD. A table was compiled that summarizes the key points and theses of four works related to the treatment and analysis of OCD. A brief report was also written, which tells what the author learned about various types of studies being conducted at NIMH. The report mainly focuses on the structural and methodological differences between research models and also compares them.

Summary Table

Study title	Brain network changes accompanying and predicting responses to pharmacotherapy in OCD	Enhancing treatment of hoarding disorder with personalized in-home sorting and decluttering practice	Studying childhood-onset behavioral, psychiatric, and developmental disorders	Physiological brain atlas development
Purpose of the study	Finding predictors and identification of correlations of response to conventional pharmacological OCD treatment.	Researching and evaluating the effectiveness of adding in-home decluttering practice.	Study of predictors and treatment of childhood mental and developmental disorders.	Improving the collection and use of physiological data for DBS implants for brain procedures.
Study type	Interventional	Interventional	Observational	Observational
Study design	Randomized double parallel assignment model	Randomized double parallel assignment model	Cohort prospective model	Case-only cross-sectional model
Three primary outcome measures	Change in severity of OCD; change in tic severity; sensations in OCD.	Saving Inventory-Revised questionnaire; Clutter Image Rating Scale photograph set; changes after eight weeks and sixteen weeks after treatment.	Ongoing clinical assessments; evaluation of clinical symptomatology correlations; commentary on conventional therapeutic interventions.	Creation of atlas with physiological information in accordance with MRI standards; Systematization and analysis of satin material; surgical healthcare institution support.
Estimated enrollment number	One hundred twenty participants	Sixty participants	Three thousand five hundred participants	Five thousand participants
Brief description about the study	Finding predictors and identification of correlations of response to conventional pharmacological OCD treatment through magnetic resonance neuroimaging.	Researching and evaluating the effectiveness of adding in-home decluttering practice through a randomized, double parallel assignment model.	Study of predictors and treatment of childhood mental and developmental disorders through a medical history and physical testing screening.	Improving the collection and use of physiological data for DBS implants for brain procedures through a case-only cross-sectional model.
Eligibility requirements	Non-healthy and healthy people of all sexes from eighteen to sixty-five years old	Non-healthy and healthy people of all sexes from eighteen to seventy years old	Non-healthy people of all sexes under ninety-nine years old	Non-healthy people of all sexes from six to ninety years old
One inclusion criterion and one exclusion criterion	Inclusion criterion: willingness or ability to participate in research procedures. Exclusion criterion: the presence of medical, psychiatric, or neurological conditions.	Inclusion criterion: English-speaking participants. Exclusion criterion: the presence of significant medical or neurological conditions.	Inclusion criterion: status of being under primary physician care. Exclusion criterion: unwillingness or inability to be subjected to clinical procedures.	Inclusion criterion: age of patients from six to ninety years. Exclusion criterion: the abandonment of Stereotactic Brain procedures.
Study location	New Haven, CT	Stanford, CA	Bethesda, MD	Nashville, TN
One principal investigator	Christopher Pittenger	Carolyn Rodriguez	Ashura W. Buckley	Peter E. Konrad

References

Buckley, A. W. (2020). Studying childhood-onset behavioral, psychiatric, and developmental disorders.

Konrad, P. E. (2020). Physiological brain atlas development.

Pittenger, C. (2019). Brain network changes accompany and predict responses to pharmacotherapy in OCD.

Rodriguez, C. (2020). Enhancing treatment of hoarding disorder with personalized in-home sorting and decluttering practice.