Pituitary volume in pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder.
BACKGROUND
Abnormalities in the limbic-hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (LHPA) axis have been implicated in the pathogenesis of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). To our knowledge, however, no prior study has measured pituitary gland volume in OCD.


METHODS
Volumetric magnetic resonance imaging studies were conducted in 31 psychotropic drug-naïve children (10 boys, 21 girls) aged 8-17 years and 31 case-matched healthy comparison subjects.


RESULTS
Pituitary volume was significantly smaller in patients with OCD as compared with healthy control subjects (11% smaller). Smaller pituitary volume in patients with OCD was associated with increased compulsive but not obsessive symptom severity. Boys with OCD had smaller pituitary gland volumes compared with control boys (20% smaller). No significant differences in pituitary volume were observed between girls with OCD and control girls. Boys with OCD had significantly smaller pituitary volumes than girls with OCD (31% smaller), whereas control boys also had smaller pituitary gland volumes compared with control girls (21% smaller).


CONCLUSIONS
These findings provide new evidence of reduced pituitary volume in pediatric OCD that seems to be more prominent in male patients. The observed alterations in pituitary volume are consistent with neuroendocrine studies that have reported abnormalities in the LHPA axis in OCD.
MacMaster
Frank P
FP
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48201, USA. drosen@med.wayne.edu
Russell
Aileen
A
Mirza
Yousha
Y
Keshavan
Matcheri S
MS
Banerjee
S Preeya
SP
Bhandari
Rashmi
R
Boyd
Courtney
C
Lynch
Michelle
M
Rose
Michelle
M
Ivey
Jennifer
J
Moore
Gregory J
GJ
Rosenberg
David R
DR
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis*; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000473:pathology*; D012016:Reference Values