title: Altered gray matter morphometry and resting-state functional and structural connectivity in social anxiety disorder.
abstract: In social anxiety disorder (SAD), impairments in limbic/paralimbic structures are associated with emotional dysregulation and inhibition of the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC). Little is known, however, about alterations in limbic and frontal regions associated with the integrated morphometric, functional, and structural architecture of SAD. Whether altered gray matter volume is associated with altered functional and structural connectivity in SAD. Three techniques were used with 18 SAD patients and 18 healthy controls: voxel-based morphometry; resting-state functional connectivity analysis; and diffusion tensor imaging tractography. SAD patients exhibited significantly decreased gray matter volumes in the right posterior inferior temporal gyrus (ITG) and right parahippocampal/hippocampal gyrus (PHG/HIP). Gray matter volumes in these two regions negatively correlated with the fear factor of the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale. In addition, we found increased functional connectivity in SAD patients between the right posterior ITG and the left inferior occipital gyrus, and between the right PHF/HIP and left middle temporal gyrus. SAD patients had increased right MPFC volume, along with enhanced structural connectivity in the genu of the corpus callosum. Reduced limbic/paralimbic volume, together with increased resting-state functional connectivity, suggests the existence of a compensatory mechanism in SAD. Increased MPFC volume, consonant with enhanced structural connectivity, suggests a long-time overgeneralization of structural connectivity and a role of this area in the mediation of clinical severity. Overall, our results may provide a valuable basis for future studies combining morphometric, functional and anatomical data in the search for a comprehensive understanding of the neural circuitry underlying SAD.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, PR China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Dante
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mantini
authors.forename: Jurong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: João Paulo
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Machado-de-Sousa
authors.forename: Jaime E C
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Hallak
authors.forename: Clarissa
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Trzesniak
authors.forename: Changjian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: José Alexandre S
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Crippa
authors.forename: Qiyong
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.forename: Huafu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000473:pathology*; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000473:pathology*; D012146:Rest; D012920:Social Behavior Disorders / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult