title: White-matter abnormalities in the right posterior hemisphere in generalized anxiety disorder: a diffusion imaging study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Prior imaging studies have shown structural, functional and biochemical impairments in patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), particularly in the right hemisphere. In this study we investigated, for the first time to the best of our knowledge, the white-matter microstructure organization in GAD.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 12 patients with DSM-IV GAD and 15 matched healthy controls underwent a magnetic resonance imaging session of diffusion weighted imaging, exploring white-matter water molecules by the means of apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs). Regions of interests were placed in the frontal, parietal, temporal and occipital lobes and in the splenium and genu of the corpus callosum, bilaterally.
  
  
  RESULTS
  ADC measures were significantly greater in patients with GAD in the right splenium and right parietal cortex compared with healthy controls (p⩽0.002). No significant correlations between ADCs and age or clinical variables were found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We provide evidence that GAD is associated with disrupted white-matter coherence of posterior right hemisphere regions, which may partly sustain the impaired cognitive regulation of anxiety. Future diffusion imaging investigations are expected to better elucidate the communication between the parietal cortex and other right hemisphere regions in sustaining the cognitive processing of social and emotional stimuli in patients with GAD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Clinical Medical Sciences, Inter-University Centre for Behavioural Neurosciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Brambilla
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Biological Sciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Como
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Biological Sciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Isola
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Clinical Medical Sciences, Inter-University Centre for Behavioural Neurosciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Taboga
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Clinical Medical Sciences, Inter-University Centre for Behavioural Neurosciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zuliani
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Clinical Medical Sciences, Inter-University Centre for Behavioural Neurosciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Goljevscek
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Clinical Medical Sciences, Inter-University Centre for Behavioural Neurosciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ragogna
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Biological Sciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Brondani
authors.affiliation: Centre for Weight and Eating Disorders, Portogruaro, Venice, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Baiano
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Clinical Medical Sciences, Inter-University Centre for Behavioural Neurosciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Perini
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Section of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, Inter-University Centre for Behavioural Neurosciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ferro
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Biological Sciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bazzocchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Biological Sciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zuiani
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Clinical Medical Sciences, Inter-University Centre for Behavioural Neurosciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Balestrieri
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000473:pathology*; D003337:Corpus Callosum / Q000473:pathology*; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D056784:Leukoencephalopathies / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000473:pathology*