Does medication to treat Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder reduce associated cognitive deficits?

Question

Some studies point to existence of cognitive deficits in OCD (it seems that these deficits are not comorbid but have the same neurological roots as OCD). Unfortunately I found no studies with positive effects of medication (SSRI etc.) on cognitive deficits/impairment in OCD patients. I found only one study about cognitive-behavioral therapy and improvement of cognitive deficits symptoms in OCD.

Is there any research that indicates medication used to treat OCD (such as SSRIs) can mitigate these cognitive deficits?

Related articles:

• http://www.steveseay.com/ocd-cognitive-deficits-obsessive-compulsive-disorder

• Fenger, M. M., Gade, A., Adams, K. H., Hansen, E. S., Bolwig, T. G., & Knudsen, G. M. (2005). Cognitive deficits in obsessive-compulsive disorder on tests of frontal lobe functions. Nordic journal of psychiatry, 59(1), 39-44. PDF

• Purcell, R., Maruff, P., Kyrios, M., & Pantelis, C. (1998). Neuropsychological deficits in obsessive-compulsive disorder: a comparison with unipolar depression, panic disorder, and normal controls. Archives of General Psychiatry, 55(5), 415. LINK

Answer 1

Look up Jeffery Schwartz. He has done decades worth of scientific studies with hundreds of OCD patients. In his book "You Are Not Your Brain" (worth a read) he mentions this bad brain wiring or cognitive deficits are the culprit behind the "Deceptive Brain Messages (OCD).

His studies show that self directed neuro-plasticity make the most corrections in brain wiring - and that the medicine can be an aid in the self directed steps. These self directed steps rely on the mind to alter the physical brain.