Abnormal gray and white matter volume in delusional infestation

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Delusional infestation (DI) is characterized by the false belief of being infested with pathogens.
• Previous research suggests dopaminergic system dysfunction in DI, but lacks population-based neuroimaging data.
• The neural underpinnings of DI remain largely unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whole-brain structural abnormalities in gray and white matter in patients with DI compared to healthy controls.
• To identify specific brain regions associated with the neurobiology of delusional infestation.
• To support a neurobiological model of DI involving prefrontal control deficits.

Main Methods:

• Employed structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) and voxel-based morphometry (VBM).
• Analyzed gray and white matter volumes in 16 DI patients and 16 matched healthy controls.
• Utilized cluster correction for statistical significance (p<0.05).

Main Results:

• DI patients exhibited lower gray matter volume in prefrontal, cingulate, insular, thalamic, striatal, and temporal cortical regions.
• DI patients showed higher white matter volume in cingulate, frontal opercular, and striatal regions.
• Significant structural differences were observed in key brain areas associated with sensory processing and cognitive control.

Conclusions:

• Structural brain alterations in prefrontal, temporal, insular, cingulate, and striatal regions are associated with delusional infestation.
• Findings support a neurobiological model implicating disrupted prefrontal control over somatosensory representations in DI.
• This study provides the first whole-brain evidence of structural abnormalities in DI, advancing understanding of this disorder.