Brain Network Abnormalities in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Insights from Edge Functional Connectivity Analysis

Functional differences in key brain networks, including the dorsal attention network (DAN), control network (CN), and default mode network (DMN), have been identified in individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, the precise nature of these differences remains unclear. In this study, we further explored these differences and validated previous findings using a novel edge functional connectivity (eFC) approach, which enables a more refined analysis of brain network interaction. By employing this advanced method, we sought to gain deeper insights into FC alterations that may underlie the pathology of OCD. We collected data during movie watching from 44 patients with OCD and 33 healthy controls (HCs). The two-sample t test was used to assess differences in entropy between the DAN, CN, and DMN between groups. The analysis was performed with control for potentially confounding variables to ensure the robustness of the findings. Significant differences in network entropy were found between the OCD and HC groups. Relative to HCs, patients with OCD showed significantly reduced entropy in the DAN and increased entropy in the CN and DMN. The decreased entropy in the DAN and increased entropy in the CN and DMN observed in this study may be related to the core symptoms of OCD, such as attention deficit, impaired cognitive control, and self-referential thinking. These results provide valuable insights into the neurobiological mechanisms of OCD and highlight the potential of network entropy as a biomarker for the disorder. Future research should further explore the relationship between these network changes and the severity of OCD symptoms, as well as assess their implications for the development of treatment strategies.