Abstract

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a psychiatric disorder characterized by intrusive thoughts and repetitive behaviors. There are two prominent features: Harm Avoidance (HA) and Incompleteness (INC). Previous resting-state studies reported abnormally elevated connectivity between prefrontal cortical (PFC) and subcortical regions (thalamus, striatum) in OCD participants. Yet, little is known about the white matter (WM) structural abnormalities in these connections. Using brain parcellation and segmentation, whole brain tractography, and Neurite Orientation Dispersion and Density Imaging (NODDI), we aimed to characterize WM structural abnormalities in OCD vs. healthy controls and determine the extent to which NODDI indices of these connections were associated with subthreshold-threshold HA, INC and overall OCD symptom severity across all participants. Four PFC regions were segmented: ventral medial (vmPFC), ventrolateral (vlPFC), dorsomedial (dmPFC), and dorsolateral (dlPFC). NODDI Neurite Density (NDI) and Orientation Dispersion (ODI) indices of WM structure were extracted from connections between these PFC regions and the thalamus (42 OCD, 44 healthy controls, mean age[SD] = 23.65[4.25]y, 63.9% female) and striatum (38 OCD, 41 healthy controls, mean age[SD] = 23.59[4.27]y, 64.5% female). Multivariate analyses of covariance revealed no between-group differences in these indices. Multivariate regression models revealed that greater NDI in vmPFC-thalamus, greater NDI and ODI in vmPFC-striatum, and greater NDI in dmPFC-thalamus connections were associated with greater INC severity (Q ≤ 0.032). These findings highlight the utility of NODDI in the examination of WM structure in OCD, provide valuable insights into specific WM alterations underlying dimensional INC, and can facilitate the development of customized treatments for OCD individuals with treatment-resistant symptoms.

Details

Title
Examining relationships among NODDI indices of white matter structure in prefrontal cortical-thalamic-striatal circuitry and OCD symptomatology
Author
Lima Santos, João Paulo 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Versace, Amelia 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Arora, Manan 1 ; Bertocci, Michele A. 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Chase, Henry W. 1 ; Skeba, Alex 1 ; Graur, Simona 1 ; Bonar, Lisa 1 ; Maffei, Chiara 3 ; Yendiki, Anastasia 3 ; Rasmussen, Steven A. 4 ; Haber, Suzanne N. 5 ; Phillips, Mary L. 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

1  University of Pittsburgh, Department of Psychiatry, Pittsburgh, USA (GRID:grid.21925.3d) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 9000) 
2  University of Pittsburgh, Department of Psychiatry, Pittsburgh, USA (GRID:grid.21925.3d) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 9000); University of Pittsburgh, Magnetic Resonance Research Center, Pittsburgh, USA (GRID:grid.21925.3d) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 9000) 
3  McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Department of Radiology, Boston, USA (GRID:grid.38142.3c) (ISNI:000000041936754X) 
4  Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Providence, USA (GRID:grid.40263.33) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 9094) 
5  McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Boston, USA (GRID:grid.38142.3c) (ISNI:000000041936754X); University of Rochester Medical Center, School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, USA (GRID:grid.412750.5) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 9166) 
Pages
410
Publication year
2024
Publication date
2024
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
21583188
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-024-03101-9
ProQuest document ID
3112267177
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2024. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.