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

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is increasingly conceptualized as a brain connectivity disorder. Recently, abnormalities in remote resting-state functional connectivity (FC) have been well demonstrated in the frontoparietal areas that linked impairments in large-scale intrinsic brain networks with aberrant fronto-striatal interactions. Beyond the remote FC abnormalities in OCD, many studies using regional homogeneity (ReHo) analysis have reported local FC alterations. However, their results were not entirely consistent.

We conducted a voxel-wise meta-analysis of ReHo studies to identify consistent local FC abnormalities in patients with OCD. A seed-based d mapping approach was used.

Eight studies that compared 200 patients with OCD and 187 healthy controls were included. Increased ReHo in the lateral orbitofrontal cortices and dorsomedial prefrontal cortices bilaterally, and decreased ReHo in the fusiform gyri bilaterally were the most consistent and reliable findings in patients with OCD relative to healthy controls.

The number of available studies included in the meta-analysis was relatively small. Many potential confounds on changes in ReHo warrant further attention.

These regions are critically implicated in the pathophysiology of OCD. Our findings in local FC alterations are complementary to the abnormalities in remote FC in OCD, contributing to the modeling of brain functional connectomes in OCD.