# Toward Connectomic Deep Brain Stimulation in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

> **NIH NIH R01** · BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL · 2022 · $865,957

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY: Toward Connectomic Deep Brain Stimulation in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive-Compulsive-Disorder is a leading cause of disability worldwide with about 10% of patients that are
refractory to conventional treatment while suffering from substantial burden of disease. Deep Brain Stimulation
(DBS) is a treatment option for these patients, but while some respond excellently to this invasive procedure,
not all patients do. One reason could be that we conceptualize DBS to modulate a brain region, rather than a
brain network. The goal of this project is to causally link symptom specific improvements in OCD to the
stimulation of specific brain networks. By doing so, we will be able to derive symptom-specific network targets
for treatment in DBS. In our preliminary research, we identified a specific network target that was associated
with optimal response following DBS to four different surgical targets applied world-wide. Our findings were
based on the largest multi-center OCD cohort with DBS studied to date (N = 50) and have been confirmed by
four additional centers since they were published. While results are promising, three gaps remain before
moving toward prospective clinical trials. The aim of this R01 will be to close these gaps. First, we have defined
optimal networks by means of structural and functional connectivity but, so far, it remains unclear which of
these two modalities (or a combination of both) is best suited to guide DBS. Second, while modulating the
network leads to optimal response on a group level, OCD is a heterogeneous disease and symptoms in each
patient are different. We will determine which specific symptoms (obsessions, compulsions, depression and
anxiety) map to which specific components of the network. This will pave the way to personalize DBS and to
define symptom-specific targets tailored to individual patients. Third, while most of our preliminary research is
based on normative connectome atlases of the human brain, connectomes of patients with OCD present with
individual differences. We will test how much additional variance in clinical outcomes can be explained when
using patient-specific instead of normative connectomes. Completion of these aims will validate and refine our
OCD response network. If successful, this study will facilitate future trials directly targeting our brain circuit with
DBS for OCD.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10503354
- **Project number:** 1R01MH130666-01
- **Recipient organization:** BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Andreas Horn
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $865,957
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-08-01 → 2027-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10503354

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10503354, Toward Connectomic Deep Brain Stimulation in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (1R01MH130666-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10503354. Licensed CC0.

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