White matter alterations in male patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder

Neuroreport. 2009 May 6;20(7):735-9. doi: 10.1097/WNR.0b013e32832ad3da.

Abstract

To investigate white matter abnormalities in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder and to clarify the relationship between discrete white matter alterations and obsessive-compulsive symptom dimensions, the fractional anisotropy obtained from 25 male patients and 25 matched normal controls were analyzed. The patients had a significantly lower fractional anisotropy in the left anterior cingulate white matter than the controls. When stratified by clinical symptom dimensions, patients with a predominant aggressive/checking symptom dimension exhibited a significantly lower fractional anisotropy in the left anterior cingulate white matter, whereas patients with a predominant contamination/cleaning symptom dimension showed a significantly higher fractional anisotropy in the bilateral prefrontal white matter. Our findings provide evidence that obsessive-compulsive disorder may be a heterogeneous disease with distinct white matter changes.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Anisotropy
  • Brain / pathology
  • Gyrus Cinguli / pathology*
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Male
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / pathology*
  • Prefrontal Cortex / pathology*
  • Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
  • Young Adult