White matter alterations in male patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder

To investigate white matter abnormalities in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder and to clarify the relationship between discrete white matter alterations and obsessive-compulsive symptom dimensions, the fractional anisotropy obtained from 25 male patients and 25 matched normal controls were analyzed. The patients had a significantly lower fractional anisotropy in the left anterior cingulate white matter than the controls. When stratified by clinical symptom dimensions, patients with a predominant aggressive/checking symptom dimension exhibited a significantly lower fractional anisotropy in the left anterior cingulate white matter, whereas patients with a predominant contamination/cleaning symptom dimension showed a significantly higher fractional anisotropy in the bilateral prefrontal white matter. Our findings provide evidence that obsessive-compulsive disorder may be a heterogeneous disease with distinct white matter changes.Gilbert AR, 2008, J AFFECT DISORDERS, V109, P117, DOI 10.1016/j.jad.2007.12.223Hsu JL, 2008, NEUROIMAGE, V39, P566, DOI 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2007.09.017Gu BM, 2008, BRAIN, V131, P155, DOI 10.1093/brain/awm277Yoo SY, 2007, ACTA PSYCHIAT SCAND, V116, P211, DOI 10.1111/j.1600-0447.2007.01046.xYucel M, 2007, ARCH GEN PSYCHIAT, V64, P946Oouchi H, 2007, AM J NEURORADIOL, V28, P1102, DOI 10.3174/ajnr.A0488Lawrence NS, 2007, BIOL PSYCHIAT, V61, P1072, DOI 10.1016/j.biopsych.2006.06.033Stewart SE, 2007, ARCH GEN PSYCHIAT, V64, P209Cannistraro PA, 2007, DEPRESS ANXIETY, V24, P440, DOI 10.1002/da.20246Szeszko PR, 2005, ARCH GEN PSYCHIAT, V62, P782Mataix-Cols D, 2004, ARCH GEN PSYCHIAT, V61, P564Kang DH, 2004, J NEUROPSYCH CLIN N, V16, P342Saxena S, 2004, AM J PSYCHIAT, V161, P1038Ursu S, 2003, PSYCHOL SCI, V14, P347VANDUIN M, 2003, REC RES DEV MACROMOL, V7, P1Jenkinson M, 2002, NEUROIMAGE, V17, P825, DOI 10.1006/nimg.2002.1132Basser PJ, 2000, MAGNET RESON MED, V44, P41Mataix-Cols D, 1999, AM J PSYCHIAT, V156, P1409Rosenberg DR, 1998, BIOL PSYCHIAT, V43, P623SAXENA S, 1998, BRIT J PSYCHIAT S, V35, P26Rosenberg DR, 1997, PROG NEURO-PSYCHOPH, V21, P1269Jenike MA, 1996, ARCH GEN PSYCHIAT, V53, P625FIRST MB, 1996, STRUCTURED CLIN INTEGOODMAN WK, 1989, ARCH GEN PSYCHIAT, V46, P1006BECK AT, 1961, ARCH GEN PSYCHIAT, V4, P561