Frontoparietal network abnormalities of gray matter volume and functional connectivity in patients with generalized...

We hypothesized that the frontoparietal region would exhibit differences in gray matter volume (GMV) and resting-state functional connectivity (rs-FC) in patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) versus healthy controls (HCs). We also aimed to report on correlations between these neuroradiological findings and HAMA scores. We recruited 27 patients with GAD and 28 HCs, matched for gender, age and education. GMV was estimated using voxel-based morphometry (VBM). We found decreased GMV in the precentral gyrus (PrCG) and the superior frontal gyrus (SFG) in patients with GAD, which were used as regions of interest (ROI) for rs-FC analyses. We detected enhanced rs-FC in the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) based on an increase in negative connections, and reduced rs-FC in the superior temporal gyrus (STG) based on a decrease in positive connections compared to HCs. The right PrCG may be a candidate biomarker in patients with GAD, as well as a potential stimulation target for improvement of anxiety symptoms. By combining GMV and rs-FC analyses, our findings help to understand the pathophysiology of GAD by combining GMV and rs-FC.