Abnormalities of visual processing and frontostriatal systems in body dysmorphic disorder.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Visual Perception

Background:

• Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) involves preoccupation with perceived appearance flaws, often facial.
• Pathophysiology of BDD is poorly understood, but visual processing abnormalities are suspected.

Observation:

• Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to compare brain activity in BDD patients and healthy controls.
• Participants viewed unaltered, high, and low spatial frequency images of their own face and a familiar face.

Findings:

• BDD patients exhibited hyperactivity in the orbitofrontal cortex and caudate when viewing their own face.
• Hypoactivity in the occipital cortex was observed in BDD patients viewing low spatial frequency faces.
• Brain activity in frontostriatal systems correlated with face aversion and BDD symptom severity.

Implications:

• Results suggest visual processing and frontostriatal system abnormalities in BDD.
• Occipital hypoactivation may indicate visual system or top-down processing deficits.
• Frontostriatal hyperactivity could relate to aversion and obsessive-compulsive symptoms in BDD.