BACKGROUND: Although a number of functional imaging studies are in agreement in suggesting orbitofrontal and subcortical hyperfunction in the pathophysiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), the structural findings have been contradictory. AIMS: To investigate grey matter abnormalities in patients with OCD by employing a novel voxel-based analysis of magnetic resonance images. METHOD: Statistical parametric mapping was utilised to compare segmented grey matter images from 25 patients with OCD with those from 25 matched controls. RESULTS: Increased regional grey matter density was found in multiple cortical areas, including the left orbitofrontal cortex, and in subcortical areas, including the thalamus. On the other hand, regions of reduction were confined to posterior parts of the brain, such as the left cuneus and the left cerebellum. CONCLUSIONS: Increased grey matter density of frontal-subcortical circuits, consonant with the hypermetabolic findings from functional imaging studies, seems to exist in patients with OCD, and cerebellar dysfunction may be involved in the pathophysiology of OCD.
BACKGROUND: Although a number of functional imaging studies are in agreement in suggesting orbitofrontal and subcortical hyperfunction in the pathophysiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), the structural findings have been contradictory. AIMS: To investigate grey matter abnormalities in patients with OCD by employing a novel voxel-based analysis of magnetic resonance images. METHOD: Statistical parametric mapping was utilised to compare segmented grey matter images from 25 patients with OCD with those from 25 matched controls. RESULTS: Increased regional grey matter density was found in multiple cortical areas, including the left orbitofrontal cortex, and in subcortical areas, including the thalamus. On the other hand, regions of reduction were confined to posterior parts of the brain, such as the left cuneus and the left cerebellum. CONCLUSIONS: Increased grey matter density of frontal-subcortical circuits, consonant with the hypermetabolic findings from functional imaging studies, seems to exist in patients with OCD, and cerebellar dysfunction may be involved in the pathophysiology of OCD.
Authors: Paul Daniel Arnold; Frank P Macmaster; Gregory L Hanna; Margaret A Richter; Tricia Sicard; Eliza Burroughs; Yousha Mirza; Phillip C Easter; Michelle Rose; James L Kennedy; David R Rosenberg Journal: Brain Imaging Behav Date: 2009-03-01 Impact factor: 3.978
Authors: Christopher J Christian; Todd Lencz; Delbert G Robinson; Katherine E Burdick; Manzar Ashtari; Anil K Malhotra; Julia D Betensky; Philip R Szeszko Journal: Psychiatry Res Date: 2008-10-19 Impact factor: 3.222
Authors: Martine Elbejjani; Reto Auer; Sudipto Dolui; David R Jacobs; Thaddeus Haight; David C Goff; John A Detre; Christos Davatzikos; R Nick Bryan; Lenore J Launer Journal: J Cereb Blood Flow Metab Date: 2018-01-22 Impact factor: 6.200
Authors: Rajan Nishanth Jayarajan; Sri Mahavir Agarwal; Biju Viswanath; Sunil V Kalmady; Ganesan Venkatasubramanian; Shoba Srinath; C R Chandrashekar; Y C Janardhan Reddy Journal: J Can Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry Date: 2015-08-31
Authors: Katherine C Lopez; Francois Lalonde; Anand Mattai; Benjamin Wade; Liv Clasen; Judith Rapoport; Jay N Giedd Journal: Psychiatry Res Date: 2013-03-01 Impact factor: 3.222
Authors: Samuel R Chamberlain; Lara A Menzies; Naomi A Fineberg; Natalia Del Campo; John Suckling; Kevin Craig; Ulrich Müller; Trevor W Robbins; Edward T Bullmore; Barbara J Sahakian Journal: Br J Psychiatry Date: 2008-09 Impact factor: 9.319