Brain functional specialization in obsessive-compulsive disorder associated with neurotransmitter profiles

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Brain Imaging
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Cerebral specialization is a key aspect of human brain function.
• Abnormalities in brain specialization may underlie obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
• Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) is a valuable tool for studying brain specialization in diseases like OCD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate differences in brain specialization between individuals with OCD and healthy controls.
• To explore the relationship between altered brain specialization patterns and neurotransmitter systems in OCD.

Main Methods:

• Utilized resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) to calculate the autonomy index (AI).
• Compared AI between 80 OCD patients and 81 healthy controls (HCs).
• Correlated AI alterations with densities of specific neurotransmitter receptors and transporters.

Main Results:

• OCD patients demonstrated increased AI in the right insula and right superior temporal gyrus compared to HCs.
• Observed associations between AI differences and the densities of serotonin receptors (5-HT1AR, 5HT4R), dopamine D2 receptors, norepinephrine transporters, and metabotropic glutamate receptors.

Conclusions:

• Abnormal brain specialization patterns are evident in individuals with OCD.
• These findings may contribute to understanding the pathological mechanisms of OCD.
• The study highlights the potential of rs-fMRI for early detection and targeted intervention in OCD.