Correlation between Morphologic Changes and Autism Spectrum Tendency in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Psychiatry
• Neurology

Background:

• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a debilitating psychiatric condition.
• Treatment resistance in OCD may be linked to co-occurring autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate the neuroanatomical differences between OCD patients and healthy controls.
• Examine the relationship between ASD traits and brain structure in OCD patients using voxel-based morphometry.

Main Methods:

• Acquired T1-weighted MRI scans from 20 OCD patients and 30 healthy controls.
• Compared regional brain volumes between groups.
• Correlated Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) scores with regional gray matter (GM) volumes in OCD patients.

Main Results:

• OCD patients exhibited significantly decreased gray matter volume in the bilateral middle frontal gyri compared to controls.
• Positive correlations were found between AQ scores and GM volumes in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and left amygdala.
• GM volumes in the left DLPFC and left amygdala were positively correlated with each other in OCD patients.

Conclusions:

• The association between ASD traits and specific regional GM volumes in OCD patients may indicate symptom heterogeneity.
• Observed GM volume differences suggest potential for classifying OCD patients for tailored therapeutic approaches based on their traits.