Qing Zhao1, Tingting Xu1, Yuan Wang1, Dandan Chen1, Qiang Liu1, Zhi Yang1,2,3,4, Zhen Wang1,2,3. 1. Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China. 2. Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai, P.R. China. 3. Institute of Psychological and Behavioral Science, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China. 4. Brain Science and Technology Research Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The pathophysiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) remains unclear despite extensive neuroimaging work on the disorder. Exposure to medication and comorbid mental disorders can confound the results of OCD studies. The goal of this study was to explore differences in brain functional connectivity (FC) within the cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) loop of drug-naïve and drug-free OCD patients and healthy controls (HCs). METHODS: A total of 29 drug-naïve OCD patients, 22 drug-free OCD patients, and 25 HCs matched on age, gender and education level underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning at resting state. Seed-based connectivity analyses were conducted among the three groups. The Yale Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale and clinical inventories were used to assess the clinical symptoms. RESULTS: Compared with HCs, the drug-naïve OCD patients had reduced FC within the limbic CSTC loop. In the drug-naïve OCD participants, we also found hyperconnectivity between the supplementary motor area and ventral and dorsal putamen (p < 0.05, corrected for multiple comparisons). CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to antidepressants such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors may affect the function of some brain regions. Future longitudinal studies could help to reveal the pharmacotherapeutic mechanisms in these loops.
BACKGROUND: The pathophysiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) remains unclear despite extensive neuroimaging work on the disorder. Exposure to medication and comorbid mental disorders can confound the results of OCD studies. The goal of this study was to explore differences in brain functional connectivity (FC) within the cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) loop of drug-naïve and drug-free OCDpatients and healthy controls (HCs). METHODS: A total of 29 drug-naïve OCDpatients, 22 drug-free OCDpatients, and 25 HCs matched on age, gender and education level underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning at resting state. Seed-based connectivity analyses were conducted among the three groups. The Yale Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale and clinical inventories were used to assess the clinical symptoms. RESULTS: Compared with HCs, the drug-naïve OCDpatients had reduced FC within the limbic CSTC loop. In the drug-naïve OCDparticipants, we also found hyperconnectivity between the supplementary motor area and ventral and dorsal putamen (p < 0.05, corrected for multiple comparisons). CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to antidepressants such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors may affect the function of some brain regions. Future longitudinal studies could help to reveal the pharmacotherapeutic mechanisms in these loops.