Structural brain network connectivity in trichotillomania (hair-pulling disorder).

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Brain Imaging

Background:

• Trichotillomania is an obsessive-compulsive related disorder with suspected involvement of frontal, striatal, limbic, and cerebellar regions.
• Existing neuroimaging findings on the neural circuitry of trichotillomania are limited and inconsistent.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate structural brain network differences in adult females with trichotillomania compared to healthy controls using graph theoretical analysis.
• To identify differences in brain network hubs and regional connectivity patterns.

Main Methods:

• Acquisition of T1-weighted MRI scans from 23 adult females with trichotillomania and 16 healthy controls.
• Application of graph theoretical analysis on structural networks derived from FreeSurfer cortical thickness and volumetric data.
• Identification of global network hubs and regional connectivity, with group comparisons.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in small-worldness or other global network measures were observed between groups.
• Trichotillomania patients exhibited distinct hub distributions, with temporal, parietal, and occipital regions being prominent.
• The inferior temporal gyrus demonstrated significantly higher global and regional connectivity in patients with trichotillomania.

Conclusions:

• Structural brain network connectivity in trichotillomania shows unique patterns, particularly involving the inferior temporal gyrus.
• Findings align with previous research implicating sensorimotor and fronto-striatal circuits in trichotillomania.
• The study contributes to understanding structural connectivity in trichotillomania and shows partial overlap with findings in obsessive-compulsive disorder.