title: Grey matter abnormalities in social anxiety disorder: a pilot study.
abstract: While a number of studies have explored the functional neuroanatomy of social anxiety disorder (SAD), data on grey matter integrity are lacking. We conducted structural MRI scans to examine the cortical thickness of grey matter in individuals with SAD. 13 unmedicated adult patients with a primary diagnosis of generalized social anxiety disorder and 13 demographically (age, gender and education) matched healthy controls underwent 3T structural magnetic resonance imaging. Cortical thickness and subcortical volumes were estimated using an automated algorithm (Freesurfer Version 4.5). Compared to controls, social anxiety disorder patients showed significant bilateral cortical thinning in the fusiform and post central regions. Additionally, right hemisphere specific thinning was found in the frontal, temporal, parietal and insular cortices of individuals with social anxiety disorder. Although uncorrected cortical grey matter volumes were significantly lower in individuals with SAD, we did not detect volumetric differences in corrected amygdala, hippocampal or cortical grey matter volumes across study groups. Structural differences in grey matter thickness between SAD patients and controls highlight the diffuse neuroanatomical networks involved in both social anxiety and social behavior. Additional work is needed to investigate the causal mechanisms involved in such structural abnormalities in SAD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa. supriya.syal@uct.ac.za
authors.forename: Supriya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Syal
authors.forename: Coenraad J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Hattingh
authors.forename: Jean-Paul
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Fouché
authors.forename: Bruce
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Spottiswoode
authors.forename: Paul D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Carey
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lochner
authors.forename: Dan J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Stein
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001284:Atrophy; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012920:Social Behavior Disorders / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D055815:Young Adult