Differences in performance on the Wisconsin card sorting test (WCST) between patients with tic related OCD and non-tic related OCD: A preliminary investigation

• Tics have been considered a potential subtype of OCD.
• As yet there have been no reported comparisons on measures of executive functioning between individuals with tic-related OCD and non-tic related OCD.
• Individuals with tic-related OCD (n=10) performed poorer on the Wisconsin card sorting test (WCST) compared to non-tic related OCD individuals (n=10).
• Findings are discussed in the context of potentially explaining prior mixed results on the WCST.

Executive dysfunction has been implicated in the neurobiology of obsessive–compulsive disorder. Few studies have examined differences between individuals with OCD with or without tics. In this study executive functioning was compared between patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder with and without a history of tics. Participants diagnosed with OCD, with and without tics (n=10 per group) were administered the Wisconsin card sorting test (WCST) along with a measures of symptom severity for OCD, tics and depression. The groups did not differ in demographic variables or depression. Results indicated differences in performance on the WCST. Specifically, patients with past or current tics made more non-perseverative and total errors on the WCST and also demonstrated significantly more difficulty with conceptual level responding as compared to a normative sample, whereas the group without a tic history did not. Our findings, along with supporting evidence from imaging research and clinical trials, suggests that the presence of tics may be a valid means for subtyping individuals with obsessive–compulsive disorder.