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Pituitary volume in pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder
Frank P MacMaster1, Aileen Russell, Yousha Mirza
1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48201, USA. drosen@med.wayne.edu
Biological Psychiatry
|September 6, 2005
Summary
Pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is linked to smaller pituitary gland volumes, particularly in boys. This finding supports neuroendocrine abnormalities in the limbic-hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (LHPA) axis in OCD.
Area of Science:
- Neuroendocrinology
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- Neuroimaging
Background:
- The limbic-hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (LHPA) axis is implicated in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) pathogenesis.
- Previous research has not investigated pituitary gland volume in pediatric OCD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To measure pituitary gland volume in children with OCD using volumetric magnetic resonance imaging.
- To explore the relationship between pituitary volume and symptom severity in pediatric OCD.
Main Methods:
- Volumetric magnetic resonance imaging was performed on 31 psychotropic drug-naïve children with OCD (aged 8-17) and 31 matched healthy controls.
- Pituitary gland volume was compared between patients and controls, and analyzed based on gender and symptom severity.
Main Results:
- Patients with OCD had significantly smaller pituitary gland volumes (11% reduction) compared to healthy controls.
- Smaller pituitary volume in OCD patients correlated with increased compulsive symptom severity.
- Boys with OCD exhibited significantly smaller pituitary volumes (20% reduction) than control boys and OCD girls (31% reduction).
Conclusions:
- Reduced pituitary volume is evident in pediatric OCD, especially in males.
- These findings support the hypothesis of LHPA axis dysregulation in OCD.
- Pituitary volume may serve as a potential neuroimaging marker in pediatric OCD.