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Surface anatomical profile of the cerebral cortex in obsessive–compulsive disorder: a study of cortical thickness, folding and surface area

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 August 2012

Q. Fan ,
L. Palaniyappan ,
L. Tan ,
J. Wang ,
X. Wang ,
C. Li ,
T. Zhang ,
K. Jiang ,
Z. Xiao  and
P. F. Liddle
Q. Fan
Affiliation:
Shanghai Mental Health Centre, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
L. Palaniyappan
Affiliation:
Division of Psychiatry, Institute of Mental Health, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
L. Tan
Affiliation:
Radiology Department of Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
J. Wang
Affiliation:
Shanghai Mental Health Centre, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
X. Wang
Affiliation:
Shanghai Mental Health Centre, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
C. Li
Affiliation:
Shanghai Mental Health Centre, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
T. Zhang
Affiliation:
Shanghai Mental Health Centre, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
K. Jiang
Affiliation:
Shanghai Mental Health Centre, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
Z. Xiao*
Affiliation:
Shanghai Mental Health Centre, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
P. F. Liddle
Affiliation:
Division of Psychiatry, Institute of Mental Health, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
*
*Address for correspondence: Z. Xiao, M.D., Ph.D., Shanghai Mental Health Centre, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200030, China. (Email: xiaozeping@gmail.com)
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Abstract

Background

Studying the distribution of anatomical abnormalities over the entire cortical surface can help to identify key neural circuits implicated in generating symptoms of neuropsychiatric disorders. There is a significant inconsistency among studies investigating the neuroanatomy of obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) because of the confounding influence of co-morbid depression and medication use and the lack of unbiased estimation of whole-brain morphometric changes. It is also unknown whether the distinct surface anatomical properties of thickness, surface area and gyrification, which collectively contribute to grey matter volume (GMV), are independently affected in OCD.

Method

The cortical maps of thickness, gyrification and surface areal change were acquired from 23 unmedicated OCD patients and 20 healthy controls using an unbiased whole-brain surface-based morphometric (SBM) method to detect regional changes in OCD. Subcortical structures were not assessed in this study.

Results

Patients showed a significant increase in the right inferior parietal cortical thickness. Significant increases in gyrification were also noted in the left insula, left middle frontal and left lateral occipital regions extending to the precuneus and right supramarginal gyrus in OCD. Areal contraction/expansion maps revealed no significant regional differences between the patients and controls. In patients, gyrification of the insula significantly predicted the symptom severity measured using Yale–Brown Obsessive–Compulsive Scale (YBOCS).

Conclusions

An alteration in the cortical surface anatomy is an important feature of OCD seen in unmedicated samples that relates to the severity of the illness. The results underscore the presence of a neurodevelopmental aberration underlying the pathophysiology of OCD.

Keywords

Cortical thicknessgyrificationinsulaobsessive–compulsive disordersurface areasurface-based morphometry
Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 43 , Issue 5 , May 2013 , pp. 1081 - 1091
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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