Mistakes 'aid OCD understanding'

BBC NEWS': "Everyone is familiar with the sinking feeling you get after deleting a computer file by mistake or leaving the house without your keys. But such events also cause their own unique reactions in the brain. US scientists writing in the Journal of Neuroscience found one area becomes more active after 'costly' mistakes. They say it may help explain obsessive compulsive disorder, where minor events appear to be enough to triger an over-reaction in the same area. In the study, the brains of 12 healthy adults were examined using a functional MRI (fMRI) scanner while they were undertook 360 computer tests, such as spotting the odd one out or picking pairs of letters. Succeeding at some carried a small financial reward, while failing at others incurred penalties. Others carried no reward or penalty. People were told they had a $10 (�5.70) 'credit' to begin, and that they would receive real cash depending on their balance at the end. The response to a mistake that cost them money was seen to be greater than the response to other mistakes and involved a part of the brain called the rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC)."