title: Abnormal Spontaneous Neural Activity in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Resting-State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study.
abstract: Neuroimaging studies of obsessive-compulsive disorder have found abnormalities in orbitofronto-striato-thalamic circuitry, including the orbitofrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, caudate, and thalamus, but few studies have explored abnormal intrinsic or spontaneous brain activity in the resting state. We investigated both intra- and inter-regional synchronized activity in twenty patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder and 20 healthy controls using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. Regional homogeneity (ReHo) and functional connectivity methods were used to analyze the intra- and inter-regional synchronized activity, respectively. Compared with healthy controls, patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder showed significantly increased ReHo in the orbitofrontal cortex, cerebellum, and insula, and decreased ReHo in the ventral anterior cingulate cortex, caudate, and inferior occipital cortex. Based on ReHo results, we determined functional connectivity differences between the orbitofrontal cortex and other brain regions in both patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder and controls. We found abnormal functional connectivity between the orbitofrontal cortex and ventral anterior cingulate cortex in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder compared with healthy controls. Moreover, ReHo in the orbitofrontal cortex was correlated with the duration of obsessive-compulsive disorder. These findings suggest that increased intra- and inter-regional synchronized activity in the orbitofrontal cortex may have a key role in the pathology of obsessive-compulsive disorder. In addition to orbitofronto-striato-thalamic circuitry, brain regions such as the insula and cerebellum may also be involved in the pathophysiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Qiqihaer Medical University, Qiqihaer, Heilongjiang, China ; Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ping
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Su-Fang
authors.forename: Han
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hai-Ying
authors.forename: Dong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhang-Ye
authors.forename: Luo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.forename: Guo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhi-Hua
authors.forename: Xiong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Hong-Fang
authors.forename: Zang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yu-Feng
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhan-Jiang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010045:Outpatients; D012146:Rest