title: Amygdala responses to human faces in obsessive-compulsive disorder.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To assess the amygdala response to emotional faces in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
  
  
  METHODS
  Ten subjects with current OCD and 10 healthy control subjects underwent fMRI, during which they viewed pictures of fearful, happy, and neutral human faces, as well as a fixation cross.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Across both groups, there was significant activation in left and right amygdala for the fearful versus neutral faces contrast. Data extracted from these functionally defined regions of interest indicated that OCD subjects exhibited a weaker response than control subjects bilaterally across all face conditions versus fixation. No group-by-face condition interactions were observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Contrary to findings in other anxiety disorders, there was no observed increase in amygdala responsivity to fearful versus neutral human faces in OCD as compared with healthy control subjects. Moreover, across all face conditions, amygdala responsivity was attenuated in OCD subjects relative to control subjects. Therefore, the present findings are consistent with abnormal amygdala function in OCD and are of a character that may distinguish OCD from other anxiety disorders.
authors.affiliation: Psychiatric Neuroimaging Research Program, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Building 149, Thirteenth Street, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA.
authors.forename: Paul A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Cannistraro
authors.forename: Christopher I
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: Michelle M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Wedig
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Martis
authors.forename: Lisa M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wilhelm
authors.forename: Scott L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Rauch
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000679:Amygdala / Q000098:blood supply / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen