title: Abnormal functional connectivity of brain network hubs associated with symptom severity in treatment-naive patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder: A resting-state functional MRI study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Abnormal brain networks have been observed in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, detailed network hub and connectivity changes remained unclear in treatment-naive patients with OCD. Here, we sought to determine whether patients show hub-related connectivity changes in their whole-brain functional networks.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data and voxel-based graph-theoretic analysis to investigate functional connectivity strength and hubs of whole-brain networks in 29 treatment-naive patients with OCD and 29 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. Correlation analysis was applied for potential associations with OCD symptom severity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  OCD selectively targeted brain regions of higher functional connectivity strength than the average including brain network hubs, mainly distributed in the cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) circuits and additionally parietal, occipital, temporal and cerebellar regions. Moreover, affected functional connectivity strength in the cerebellum, the medial orbitofrontal cortex and superior occipital cortex was significantly associated with global OCD symptom severity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results provide the evidence about OCD-related brain network hub changes, not only in the CSTC circuits but more distributed in whole brain networks. Data suggest that whole brain network hub analysis is useful for understanding the pathophysiology of OCD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Wuxi Mental Health Center, Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, China; Wuxi Tongren International Rehabilitation Hospital, Wuxi, China. Electronic address: tianz@njmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.affiliation: Departments of Neuroradiology, TUM-Neuroimaging Center of Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Chun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.affiliation: Nanjing Medical University Affiliated Wuxi Second Hospital, Wuxi, China.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Imaging, Wuxi People's Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, China.
authors.forename: Qunfeng
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Wuxi Mental Health Center, Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, China; Wuxi Tongren International Rehabilitation Hospital, Wuxi, China.
authors.forename: Shuai
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Xiyao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Wuxi Mental Health Center, Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, China; Wuxi Tongren International Rehabilitation Hospital, Wuxi, China.
authors.forename: Xiangshuai
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Wuxi Mental Health Center, Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, China; Wuxi Tongren International Rehabilitation Hospital, Wuxi, China.
authors.forename: Chunhui
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Wuxi Mental Health Center, Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, China; Wuxi Tongren International Rehabilitation Hospital, Wuxi, China.
authors.forename: Fuquan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Wuxi Mental Health Center, Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, China; Wuxi Tongren International Rehabilitation Hospital, Wuxi, China. Electronic address: wangjd9178@126.com.
authors.forename: Jidong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009434:Neural Pathways; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Functional connectivity; Graph theory; Hub; Obsessive–compulsive disorder; Resting-state fMRI