Early auditory-evoked potentials in body dysmorphic disorder: An ERP/sLORETA study

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) involves preoccupation with perceived flaws and is linked to cognitive deficits, particularly in attention.
• Understanding the neural underpinnings of attentional processing in BDD is crucial for developing effective interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate early neural responses, specifically N100 and P200 event-related potentials (ERPs), to auditory prepulse inhibition (PPI) and prepulse facilitation (PPF) in individuals with BDD.
• To explore the relationship between these neural responses, attentional processing, and BDD severity.

Main Methods:

• Fifty-five adults (30 with BDD, 25 healthy controls) participated in auditory PPI and PPF tasks.
• Analysis involved global field power (GFP), ERPs, and source reconstruction to examine neural activity.
• Comparisons were made between BDD patients and controls regarding N100 and P200 amplitudes and latencies.

Main Results:

• BDD patients exhibited significantly reduced N100 amplitudes compared to controls in response to startle tones during both PPI and PPF paradigms.
• Lower N100 GFP in BDD patients correlated positively with increased BDD symptom severity.
• Source analysis revealed diminished neural activation in the N100 time window for BDD patients during PPI, with overall reduced scalp and source activations in PPI compared to PPF.

Conclusions:

• The N100 ERP component may serve as an electrophysiological marker for BDD, potentially reflecting impaired attentional allocation.
• Reduced N100 amplitude and its correlation with symptom severity offer insights into the pathophysiology of BDD.
• ERPs combined with PPI/PPF protocols show promise for advancing the understanding and potential diagnosis of BDD.