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Brain connectivity in body dysmorphic disorder compared with controls: a diffusion tensor imaging study
B G Buchanan1, S L Rossell, J J Maller
1Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, School of Psychology and Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University and The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.
Psychological Medicine
|March 12, 2013
Summary
Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) patients exhibit significantly reduced white matter connectivity, indicated by lower fractional anisotropy (FA) in major brain tracts. This finding suggests inefficient neural connections may underlie BDD symptoms.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Psychiatry
- White Matter Integrity
Background:
- Previous studies noted grey matter abnormalities in body dysmorphic disorder (BDD).
- This research investigates white matter properties in BDD using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare white matter connectivity in BDD patients versus healthy controls.
- To test the hypothesis of widespread reduced white matter connectivity in BDD.
Main Methods:
- Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was performed on 20 BDD patients and 20 matched healthy controls.
- Voxel-wise comparison of fractional anisotropy (FA) was conducted using tract-based spatial statistics.
Main Results:
- BDD patients showed significantly lower FA in major white matter tracts compared to controls.
- Reduced FA was associated with increased radial diffusivity.
- No areas of higher FA were observed in BDD patients.
Conclusions:
- This study presents the first evidence of compromised white matter integrity in BDD.
- Inefficient brain connectivity may contribute to cognitive and emotion regulation deficits in BDD.
