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Updated: Jun 25, 2026

Meta-analysis of Voxel-Based Neuroimaging Studies using Seed-based d Mapping with Permutation of Subject Images (SDM-PSI)
Published on: November 27, 2019
Volumetric differences in the pituitary between drug-naïve and medicated male patients with obsessive-compulsive
Myung Hun Jung1, Min Jung Huh, Do-Hyung Kang
1Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Objective:
Obsessive-compulsive symptoms are induced or aggravated by stress, and the pituitary is a key component of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. We examined pituitary volume in drug-naïve and medicated male patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
Methods:
Volumetric magnetic resonance imaging studies were conducted on 62 male control subjects, medicated male patients (N=50) and drug-naïve male patients (N=12) with OCD.
Results:
Pituitary volume was significantly smaller in drug-naïve patients with OCD (464.97+/-55.82 mm(3)) compared to medicated patients (577.84+/-129.11 mm(3), P=0.004) and control subjects (543.04+/-113.70 mm(3), P=0.027), and no difference between control subjects and medicated patients (P=0.174).
Conclusion:
The results indicate that drug-naïve male patients with OCD exhibit decreased pituitary volume. This finding suggests that dysregulation of the HPA axis in OCD may influence pituitary volume. In addition, the increased pituitary volume in medicated patients may reflect the effect of drugs on the pituitary.
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