Early-life adversity and orbitofrontal and cerebellar volumes in adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder: voxel-based morphometry study.
BACKGROUND
Early-life adversity is a risk for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), but the impact at the neural level is less clear.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the association between brain volumes and early-life adversity in individuals with a diagnosis of OCD only.


METHODS
The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-28) was used to assess early-life adversity in 21 participants with OCD and 25 matched healthy controls. The relationship between global and regional brain volume and early-life adversity was measured using voxel-based morphometry (VBM). All data were corrected for multiple comparisons using family-wise error (FWE) at P<0.05.


RESULTS
In the OCD group, correlations with total CTQ scores were positively associated with a larger right orbitofrontal cortex volume. Physical neglect was higher in the OCD group than in controls and was positively associated with larger right cerebellum volume in the OCD group only.


CONCLUSIONS
Larger brain volumes may reflect underlying developmental neuropathology in adults with OCD who also have experience of childhood trauma.
Samantha J. Brooks, PhD, Vanesh Naidoo, BSc(Hons), Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Observatory, Cape Town, South Africa; Annerine Roos, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, MRC Unit on Anxiety & Stress Disorders, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa; Jean-Paul Fouché, Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Observatory, Cape Town, South Africa; Christine Lochner, MA, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, MRC Unit on Anxiety & Stress Disorders, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa; Dan J. Stein, PhD, DPhil, Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Observatory, Cape Town, South Africa and Department of Psychiatry, MRC Unit on Anxiety & Stress Disorders, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa Samantha.brooks@uct.ac.za.
Samantha J
SJ
Brooks
Samantha J. Brooks, PhD, Vanesh Naidoo, BSc(Hons), Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Observatory, Cape Town, South Africa; Annerine Roos, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, MRC Unit on Anxiety & Stress Disorders, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa; Jean-Paul Fouché, Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Observatory, Cape Town, South Africa; Christine Lochner, MA, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, MRC Unit on Anxiety & Stress Disorders, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa; Dan J. Stein, PhD, DPhil, Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Observatory, Cape Town, South Africa and Department of Psychiatry, MRC Unit on Anxiety & Stress Disorders, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa.
Vanesh
V
Naidoo
Samantha J. Brooks, PhD, Vanesh Naidoo, BSc(Hons), Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Observatory, Cape Town, South Africa; Annerine Roos, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, MRC Unit on Anxiety & Stress Disorders, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa; Jean-Paul Fouché, Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Observatory, Cape Town, South Africa; Christine Lochner, MA, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, MRC Unit on Anxiety & Stress Disorders, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa; Dan J. Stein, PhD, DPhil, Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Observatory, Cape Town, South Africa and Department of Psychiatry, MRC Unit on Anxiety & Stress Disorders, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa.
Annerine
A
Roos
Samantha J. Brooks, PhD, Vanesh Naidoo, BSc(Hons), Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Observatory, Cape Town, South Africa; Annerine Roos, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, MRC Unit on Anxiety & Stress Disorders, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa; Jean-Paul Fouché, Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Observatory, Cape Town, South Africa; Christine Lochner, MA, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, MRC Unit on Anxiety & Stress Disorders, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa; Dan J. Stein, PhD, DPhil, Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Observatory, Cape Town, South Africa and Department of Psychiatry, MRC Unit on Anxiety & Stress Disorders, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa.
Jean-Paul
JP
Fouché
Samantha J. Brooks, PhD, Vanesh Naidoo, BSc(Hons), Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Observatory, Cape Town, South Africa; Annerine Roos, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, MRC Unit on Anxiety & Stress Disorders, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa; Jean-Paul Fouché, Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Observatory, Cape Town, South Africa; Christine Lochner, MA, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, MRC Unit on Anxiety & Stress Disorders, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa; Dan J. Stein, PhD, DPhil, Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Observatory, Cape Town, South Africa and Department of Psychiatry, MRC Unit on Anxiety & Stress Disorders, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa.
Christine
C
Lochner
Samantha J. Brooks, PhD, Vanesh Naidoo, BSc(Hons), Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Observatory, Cape Town, South Africa; Annerine Roos, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, MRC Unit on Anxiety & Stress Disorders, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa; Jean-Paul Fouché, Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Observatory, Cape Town, South Africa; Christine Lochner, MA, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, MRC Unit on Anxiety & Stress Disorders, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa; Dan J. Stein, PhD, DPhil, Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Observatory, Cape Town, South Africa and Department of Psychiatry, MRC Unit on Anxiety & Stress Disorders, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa.
Dan J
DJ
Stein
D000328:Adult; D000069586:Adult Survivors of Child Adverse Events / Q000523:psychology*; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013019:South Africa; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult