Obsessive-compulsive disorder affects about 1 in 40 adults, causing intrusive thoughts and repetitive behaviors that interfere with daily life. Treatment combines therapy (especially exposure and response prevention) with medications like SSRIs, though many people don't get full relief from current options. Research is exploring new brain circuits and medications that work differently than today's standard drugs.
What's actually going on in research
Trials are testing glutamate-targeting drugs that may address OCD's root brain chemistry more directly than SSRIs, psilocybin-assisted therapy for treatment-resistant cases, and brain stimulation methods including deep TMS and focused ultrasound. Researchers are also studying the immune system's role in childhood-onset OCD and testing faster-acting medications that could provide relief within days rather than weeks.
Glutamate-targeting drugs
Medications that adjust glutamate — the brain's main excitatory chemical — are showing promise for OCD. Some trials are testing troriluzole and other agents that may work faster and better than SSRIs for people who haven't responded to standard treatment.
Psilocybin therapy
Early trials suggest psilocybin paired with therapy may produce rapid, lasting improvement in OCD symptoms. Studies are testing whether one or two guided sessions can reduce compulsions for months.
Brain stimulation
Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation and MRI-guided focused ultrasound target specific OCD circuits without surgery. These approaches may help people who haven't improved with medication or standard TMS.
What to know before you search
Eligibility typically depends on OCD severity (measured by the Yale-Brown scale), whether you've tried and not fully responded to standard treatments, and sometimes specific symptom types or age of onset.
What types of trials are currently open
- Medication trials — Testing new drugs that target glutamate, serotonin, or other brain chemicals. Many compare the new medication to placebo or current standard treatments.
- Psychedelic-assisted therapy — Studies of psilocybin or other psychedelics combined with therapy sessions, usually for people who haven't responded to standard treatment.
- Brain stimulation trials — Testing devices that use magnetic fields or ultrasound to stimulate or calm specific brain regions involved in OCD.
- Therapy trials — Studies comparing different forms of exposure therapy, testing digital or virtual reality versions, or combining therapy with medications.
- Biomarker studies — Research using brain imaging or other tests to identify which patients will respond to which treatments, aiming to personalize care.
Recently added OCD trials
Receive a non-invasive ultrasound headband to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder
The study tests ATTN201, an investigational non-invasive headband that delivers low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) to the subthalamic nucleus (STN) as a treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). It's a randomized, double-blind, 1:1 (active: sham) study with 40 total participants spanning 12-16 weeks and 14 in-person and remote visits.
Try combined therapy targeting both obsessive-compulsive and tic symptoms
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Tic Disorders frequently co-occur, and a subgroup of patients - those with a Tourettic Subtype of OCD (TOCD) - present with concurrent obsessive-compulsive and tic symptoms. Existing psychological interventions typically target one condition or the other, but rarely both together. This study aims to test whether a combined psychological therapy integrating Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and Habit Reversal (HbRT) is more effective at reducing symptoms than either therapy delivered alone, in adults with TOCD.
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