Abnormal topological organization in white matter structural networks revealed by diffusion tensor tractography in unmedicated patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder

Zhaoxi Zhong; Tengda Zhao; Jia Luo; Zhihua Guo; Meng Guo; Ping Li; Jing Sun; Yong He; Zhanjiang Li

doi:10.1016/j.pnpbp.2014.01.005

Abnormal topological organization in white matter structural networks revealed by diffusion tensor tractography in unmedicated patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder

Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2014 Jun 3:51:39-50. doi: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2014.01.005. Epub 2014 Jan 16.

Authors

Zhaoxi Zhong¹, Tengda Zhao², Jia Luo¹, Zhihua Guo¹, Meng Guo¹, Ping Li¹, Jing Sun³, Yong He⁴, Zhanjiang Li⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Clinical Psychology, Beijing Key Laboratory for Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100088, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
³ School of Medicine and Griffith Health Institute, Griffith University, Q4222, Australia.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China. Electronic address: yong.he@bnu.edu.cn.
⁵ Department of Clinical Psychology, Beijing Key Laboratory for Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100088, China. Electronic address: lizhj8@ccmu.edu.cn.

PMID: 24440373
DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2014.01.005

Abstract

Background: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic psychiatric disorder defined by recurrent thoughts, intrusive and distressing impulses, or images and ritualistic behaviors. Although focal diverse regional abnormalities white matter integrity in specific brain regions have been widely studied in populations with OCD, alterations in the structural connectivities among them remain poorly understood.

Objective: The aim was to investigate the abnormalities in the topological efficiency of the white matter networks and the correlation between the network metrics and Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale scores in unmedicated OCD patients, using diffusion tensor tractography and graph theoretical approaches.

Methods: This study used diffusion tensor imaging and deterministic tractography to map the white matter structural networks in 26 OCD patients and 39 age- and gender-matched healthy controls; and then applied graph theoretical methods to investigate abnormalities in the global and regional properties of the white matter network in these patients.

Results: The patients and control participants both showed small-world organization of the white matter networks. However, the OCD patients exhibited significant abnormal global topology, including decreases in global efficiency (t = -2.32, p = 0.02) and increases in shortest path length, Lp (t = 2.30, p = 0.02), the normalized weighted shortest path length, λ (t = 2.08, p=0.04), and the normalized clustering coefficient, γ (t = 2.26, p = 0.03), of their white matter structural networks compared with healthy controls. Further, the OCD patients showed a reduction in nodal efficiency predominately in the frontal regions, the parietal regions and caudate nucleus. The normalized weighted shortest path length of the network metrics was significantly negatively correlated with obsessive subscale of the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (r = -0.57, p = 0.0058).

Conclusions: These findings demonstrate the abnormal topological efficiency in the white matter networks in OCD patients.

Keywords: Brain network; Connectivity; Diffusion tensor imaging; Obsessive–compulsive disorder.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Anisotropy
Brain / pathology*
Brain Mapping
Case-Control Studies
Diffusion Tensor Imaging*
Female
Humans
Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
Male
Middle Aged
Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / pathology*
Nerve Net / pathology*
Neural Pathways / pathology
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / pathology*
Young Adult