Microstructural white matter alterations associated with social anxiety disorders: A systematic review

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Psychiatry
• Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI)

Background:

• Social anxiety disorder (SAD) impairs social functioning and quality of life.
• Neuroimaging studies reveal brain alterations in SAD.
• DTI/DWI enable investigation of white matter (WM) microstructure in SAD.

Approach:

• Systematic literature search across major databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO).
• Performed an exploratory meta-analysis on relevant studies.
• Reviewed eight studies investigating WM microstructure in SAD.

Key Points:

• Consistent findings of reduced fractional anisotropy and increased diffusivity in WM tracts of SAD patients.
• Alterations predominantly observed in the fronto-limbic network, including uncinate fasciculus (UF), superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF), and inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF).
• Exploratory meta-analysis using voxel-wise approach found no significant differences between SAD patients and controls.

Conclusions:

• SAD patients exhibit altered WM integrity in UF, SLF, and ILF compared to controls.
• Meta-analysis yielded no significant differences due to study limitations (small sample size, heterogeneity).
• Future research is crucial to clarify the link between WM structure and SAD pathogenesis.