White matter abnormalities in drug-naïve patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder: a diffusion tensor study before and after citalopram treatment.
OBJECTIVE
The aim was to investigate the white matter abnormalities of drug-naïve patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) using diffusion tensor-imaging and the white matter changes in the patients after pharmacotherapy.


METHODS
Thirteen drug-naïve OCD patients and 13 age- and sex-matched healthy comparison subjects were examined using diffusion tensor-imaging and structural magnetic resonance imaging. Measurements were made in OCD patients before and after 12 weeks of citalopram treatment.


RESULTS
Compared with controls, the drug-naïve OCD patients showed significant increases in fractional anisotropy (FA) in the corpus callosum, the internal capsule and white matter in the area superolateral to the right caudate. The increases in FA were mostly no longer observed in patients after 12 weeks of treatment compared with controls.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest that white matter alterations are associated with the pathophysiology of OCD, and the abnormalities may be partly reversible with pharmacotherapy.
Yoo
S Y
SY
Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Jang
J H
JH
Shin
Y-W
YW
Kim
D J
DJ
Park
H-J
HJ
Moon
W-J
WJ
Chung
E C
EC
Lee
J-M
JM
Kim
I Y
IY
Kim
S I
SI
Kwon
J S
JS
D000328:Adult; D016880:Anisotropy; D018687:Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects*; D002421:Caudate Nucleus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D015283:Citalopram / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003337:Corpus Callosum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005583:Fourier Analysis; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D020772:Internal Capsule / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009413:Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013788:Thalamus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology
D018687:Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation; D015283:Citalopram