Alterations in resting-state local functional connectivity in obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Brain Imaging

Background:

• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is increasingly viewed as a disorder of brain connectivity.
• Previous research highlighted abnormalities in remote functional connectivity (FC) in frontoparietal areas.
• Studies also reported local FC alterations using regional homogeneity (ReHo) analysis, but findings were inconsistent.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a voxel-wise meta-analysis of ReHo studies to identify consistent local FC abnormalities in patients with OCD.
• To synthesize existing research on local brain connectivity in OCD.

Main Methods:

• A voxel-wise meta-analysis of published ReHo studies was performed.
• A seed-based d mapping approach was utilized for analysis.
• Eight studies comparing 200 patients with OCD and 187 healthy controls were included.

Main Results:

• Consistent findings of increased ReHo in the lateral orbitofrontal cortices and dorsomedial prefrontal cortices bilaterally in patients with OCD.
• Consistent findings of decreased ReHo in the fusiform gyri bilaterally in patients with OCD.
• These results represent reliable local FC alterations in OCD patients compared to controls.

Conclusions:

• The identified local FC alterations in specific brain regions are critical to OCD pathophysiology.
• These findings complement existing knowledge of remote FC abnormalities in OCD.
• The results contribute to a more comprehensive model of brain functional connectomes in OCD.