Amygdala activation in response to facial expressions in pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder.
BACKGROUND
Exaggerated amygdala activation to threatening faces has been detected in adults and children with anxiety disorders, compared to healthy comparison (HC) subjects. However, the profile of amygdala activation in response to facial expressions in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) may be a distinguishing feature; a prior study found that compared with healthy adults, adults with OCD exhibited less amygdala activation to emotional and neutral faces, relative to fixation [Cannistraro et al. (2004). Biological Psychiatry 56:916-920].


METHODS
In the current event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, a pediatric OCD sample (N=12) and a HC sample (N=17) performed a gender discrimination task while viewing emotional faces (happy, fearful, disgusted) and neutral faces.


RESULTS
Compared to the HC group, the OCD group showed less amygdala/hippocampus activation in all emotion and neutral conditions relative to fixation.


CONCLUSIONS
Like previous reports in adult OCD, pediatric OCD may have a distinct neural profile from other anxiety disorders, with respect to amygdala activation in response to emotional stimuli that are not disorder specific.
Britton
Jennifer C
JC
Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.
Stewart
S Evelyn
SE
Killgore
William D S
WD
Rosso
Isabelle M
IM
Price
Lauren M
LM
Gold
Andrea L
AL
Pine
Daniel S
DS
Wilhelm
Sabine
S
Jenike
Michael A
MA
Rauch
Scott L
SL
D000679:Amygdala / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012737:Sex Factors