Many people cope with intrusive thoughts and the urge to perform repetitive behaviors to alleviate stress or doubt. The most well-known and researched conditions include Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Hoarding Disorder (difficulty parting with possessions), and Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD).

In our clinic, we investigate these disorders using brain imaging and physiological measures, alongside questionnaires, interviews, and attention-task assessments. Our goal is to understand what exacerbates these symptoms and what aids in their reduction, in order to develop new ways to improve diagnosis and treatment for both adults and children.

This line of research is led by Dr. Omer Linkovski, a senior faculty member in the psycholgy department. Individuals interested in participating in these studies are invited to contact us via email at: cpaus.experiment@gmail.com

Linkovski, O., Moore, T. M., Argabright, S. T., Calkins, M. E., Gur, R. C., Gur, R. E., & Barzilay, R. (2024). Hoarding behavior and its association with mental health and functioning in a large youth community population. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 33(6), 1955–1962. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-023-02296-4

Linkovski, O., Naftalovich, H., David, M., Seror, Y., & Kalanthroff, E. (2023). The effect of symptom-provocation on inhibitory control in obsessive-compulsive disorder patients is contingent upon chronotype and time of day. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 12(12), Article 4075. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm12124075

Mahnke, A. R., Linkovski, O., Timpano, K. R., van Roessel, P., Sanchez, C., Varias, A. D., Mukunda, P., Filippou-Frye, M., Lombardi, A., Raila, H., Anderson, K., Sandhu, T., Wright, B., McCarthy, E. A., Garcia, G. E., Asgari, S., Qiu, T., Bernert, R. A., & Rodriguez, C. I. (2021). Examining subjective sleep quality in adults with hoarding disorder. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 137, 597–602. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2020.10.044

Sanchez, C., Linkovski, O., van Roessel, P., Steinberg, N. M., McCarthy, E., Muñoz Rodríguez, P. A., Avanesyan, T., Mukunda, P., Frost, R. O., & Rodriguez, C. I. (2023). Early life stress in adults with hoarding disorder: A mixed methods study. Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders, 37, Article 100785. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jocrd.2023.100785

Uljarević, M., Hedley, D., Linkovski, O., & Leekam, S. R. (2021). Underlying mechanisms of restricted and repetitive behaviors across typical and atypical development. In E. Gal & N. Yirmiya (Eds.), Repetitive and restricted behaviors and interests in autism spectrum disorders: From neurobiology to behavior (pp. 61–76). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-66445-9_5