Brain structural alterations in obsessive-compulsive disorder patients with autogenous and reactive obsessions

PLoS One. 2013 Sep 30;8(9):e75273. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0075273. eCollection 2013.

Abstract

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a clinically heterogeneous condition. Although structural brain alterations have been consistently reported in OCD, their interaction with particular clinical subtypes deserves further examination. Among other approaches, a two-group classification in patients with autogenous and reactive obsessions has been proposed. The purpose of the present study was to assess, by means of a voxel-based morphometry analysis, the putative brain structural correlates of this classification scheme in OCD patients. Ninety-five OCD patients and 95 healthy controls were recruited. Patients were divided into autogenous (n = 30) and reactive (n = 65) sub-groups. A structural magnetic resonance image was acquired for each participant and pre-processed with SPM8 software to obtain a volume-modulated gray matter map. Whole-brain and voxel-wise comparisons between the study groups were then performed. In comparison to the autogenous group, reactive patients showed larger gray matter volumes in the right Rolandic operculum. When compared to healthy controls, reactive patients showed larger volumes in the putamen (bilaterally), while autogenous patients showed a smaller left anterior temporal lobe. Also in comparison to healthy controls, the right middle temporal gyrus was smaller in both patient subgroups. Our results suggest that autogenous and reactive obsessions depend on partially dissimilar neural substrates. Our findings provide some neurobiological support for this classification scheme and contribute to unraveling the neurobiological basis of clinical heterogeneity in OCD.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Analysis of Variance
  • Brain / pathology*
  • Brain Mapping
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Male
  • Obsessive Behavior / classification*
  • Obsessive Behavior / pathology
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / classification
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / pathology*

Grants and funding

This study was supported in part by the Carlos III Health Institute (PI09/01331 PI10/01753, PI10/01003, CP10/00604, CIBER-CB06/03/0034) and by the Agencia de Gestió d’Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (AGAUR; 2009SGR1554). M.S. is funded by the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL). E.R. is supported by a ‘Rio Hortega’ contract from the Carlos III Health Institute (I.D. CM11/00077). C. L-S. is supported by the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport (FPU12/01636). B.H. is supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (NHMRC) Clinical Career Development Award (I.D. 628509). C.S-M. is funded by a ‘Miguel Servet’ contract from the Carlos III Health Institute (CP10/00604). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.