TABLE 4.

A Comparison Between Some Models of OCD

Model	Type	Strengths	Limitations
Standard	Neuroanatomic	Consistent with imaging, surgical, and lesion findings	Does not explain psychological symptoms of OCD
Direct/indirect striatal pathway	Neuroanatomic	Refines the standard model	Does not explain psychological symptoms of OCD
Executive dysfunction	Integrative	Patients with prefrontal cortex damage and executive dysfunction can demonstrate perseverative behaviors	The extent of executive dysfunction in idiopathic OCD is unclear
Failure of inhibition	Integrative	OCD patients demonstrate deficits of response inhibition	Connection of finding to symptoms of OCD not yet clear
Release	Integrative	Utilizes findings on the basal ganglia from animal research	Focuses on basal ganglia, difficulty applying simple behaviors in lizards to the symptoms of OCD in humans
Feeling of knowing	Psychological	Provides a richer explanation of the symptoms of OCD	Does not specify nature or anatomical location of representations responsible for symptoms
SEC/OCD model	Integrative	Integrates neuroanatomical and psychological explanations of the symptoms of OCD	Many hypotheses, such as the rewarding properties of behavioral sequences and the behavioral effects of brain lesions, are untested

SEC = structured event complex; OCD = obsessive-compulsive disorder