Functional disruption in prefrontal-striatal network in obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Functional Neuroimaging

Background:

• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) involves intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors.
• The cortico-striatal-limbic network is implicated in OCD pathophysiology, but its neural basis requires further elucidation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate resting-state functional connectivity within the cortico-striatal-limbic network in individuals with OCD.
• To explore the relationship between neural network connectivity and OCD symptom severity, including comorbid depression.

Main Methods:

• Resting-state functional connectivity analysis was performed on 44 participants with OCD and 43 healthy controls.
• Specific brain regions analyzed included the rostral anterior cingulate cortex, prefrontal cortex subregions, amygdala, thalamus, and caudate.

Main Results:

• Individuals with OCD exhibited significantly increased functional connectivity between the left caudate and bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex compared to healthy controls.
• A positive correlation was found between left caudate-dorsolateral prefrontal cortex connectivity and depression scores in the OCD group.

Conclusions:

• The findings highlight altered functional connectivity within the cortico-striatal-limbic network in OCD.
• Increased left caudate-dorsolateral prefrontal cortex connectivity is associated with OCD and may be linked to comorbid depressive symptoms.