Half of adult patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) report the onset of OCD symptoms during their childhood or adolescence. Early intervention can effectively reduce the prevalence of OCD in the adults. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most effective psychotherapy approaches when treating pediatric OCD. However, the neurobiological mechanism remains unclear. In recent years, the rapid development of brain imaging technic provides an important method to explore the brain mechanism of CBT treatment. Therefore, this article reviews the latest brain imaging research on the treatment mechanism of CBT in pediatric OCD, in order to provide a robust evidence for the application of CBT in the treatment of pediatric OCD.

Half of adult patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) report the onset of OCD symptoms during their childhood or adolescence. Early intervention can effectively reduce the prevalence of OCD in the adults. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most effective psychotherapy approaches when treating pediatric OCD. However, the neurobiological mechanism remains unclear. In recent years, the rapid development of brain imaging technic provides an important method to explore the brain mechanism of CBT treatment. Therefore, this article reviews the latest brain imaging research on the treatment mechanism of CBT in pediatric OCD, in order to provide a robust evidence for the application of CBT in the treatment of pediatric OCD.