# Dissecting Causal Reasoning Abnormalities in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

> **NIH NIH K23** · YALE UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $196,884

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ ABSTRACT
This K23 proposal from Dr. Patricia Gruner, a clinical psychologist at Yale University, examines causal reasoning
abnormalities in individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) – a critical step towards the long-term goal of
developing therapeutic remediation precisely targeting cognitive and neural system dysfunction in patients with clinically
significant obsessions and compulsions. Concurrently, the accompanying training and mentorship plan will support the
PI’s progression towards independence, with a focus on neuroscience-based therapeutic development.
 Individuals with OCD engage in maladaptive repetitive behaviors reflecting erroneous causal beliefs about the
environment. Large knowledge gaps remain regarding causal reasoning deficits in OCD, and the neurobiology of this core
clinical abnormality remains unclear. Causal reasoning is a complex construct relying on several distinct underlying
computations, including the ability to learn contingencies and to represent abstract outcomes. These computations are
difficult to dissociate in real-world situations using existing neurocognitive assessments. To close this knowledge gap, we
have developed a neurobiologically-informed behavioral paradigm designed to disambiguate these specific elements of
causal reasoning. The paradigm is optimized in conjunction with state-of-the-art neuroimaging to test the hypothesis that
behavioral and neural signals of specific contingency learning versus outcome representation differ in OCD relative to
matched controls. In turn, we will quantify relationships between symptoms (dimensionally assessed through a battery of
well-validated clinical measures), neural signals, and behavioral measure of specific contingency learning and outcome
representation. Thus, this project advances our understanding of OCD neurobiology and provides the foundation for
treatment development around precise neurobiologically-grounded computations – a longer-term career objective of the
PI. In turn, the outlined training support facilitates the PI’s transition towards independence.
 Dr. Gruner has extensive clinical and cognitive assessment expertise working with OCD patients. She received
postdoctoral training in neuroimaging and cognitive remediation at Yale. This proposal is designed to develop deep
expertise in neuroimaging acquisition and analysis techniques with a focus on state-of-the-art protocols developed by the
Human Connectome Project, increase knowledge of OCD neurobiology, and advanced skills in task-based imaging using
model-based analyses. The PI has assembled an exceptional mentoring team. The primary mentor, Dr. Christopher
Pittenger, Director of the Yale OCD Research Clinic, is world-renowned for translational research on OCD and related
disorders. Dr. Bruce Wexler, an expert in neuroplasticity and development of neurocognitive interventions, will provide
co-mentorship regarding neurocognitive function in OCD. The PI will receive traini...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10137306
- **Project number:** 5K23MH115206-04
- **Recipient organization:** YALE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Patricia A. Gruner
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $196,884
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-03-21 → 2024-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10137306

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10137306, Dissecting Causal Reasoning Abnormalities in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) (5K23MH115206-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10137306. Licensed CC0.

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