Structural alterations in the caudate nucleus and precuneus in un-medicated anorexia nervosa patients

Ling Yue; Yi Wang; Walter H Kaye; Qing Kang; Jia-Bin Huang; Eric F C Cheung; Shi-Fu Xiao; Zhen Wang; Jue Chen; Raymond C K Chan

doi:10.1016/j.pscychresns.2018.08.009

Structural alterations in the caudate nucleus and precuneus in un-medicated anorexia nervosa patients

Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging. 2018 Nov 30:281:12-18. doi: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2018.08.009. Epub 2018 Aug 17.

Authors

Ling Yue¹, Yi Wang², Walter H Kaye³, Qing Kang¹, Jia-Bin Huang¹, Eric F C Cheung⁴, Shi-Fu Xiao¹, Zhen Wang¹, Jue Chen⁵, Raymond C K Chan⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Clinical Psychology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai Mental Health Centre, Shanghai Clinical Centre for Mental Disorders, Shanghai, China.
² Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China.
³ Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA.
⁴ Department of Adult Psychiatry, Castle Peak Hospital, Hong Kong, China.
⁵ Department of Clinical Psychology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai Mental Health Centre, Shanghai Clinical Centre for Mental Disorders, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: chenjue2088@163.com.
⁶ Department of Clinical Psychology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai Mental Health Centre, Shanghai Clinical Centre for Mental Disorders, Shanghai, China; Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Translational Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Shanghai Mental Health Centre, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: rckchan@psych.ac.cn.

PMID: 30212787
DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2018.08.009

Abstract

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a mental disorder characterized by a preoccupation with thinness and may be associated with brain structural alteration. The aim of the study was to examine the brain structural alteration in AN patients, including subcortical structure volume and cortical thickness. Thirty-five un-medicated AN patients and 20 matched healthy controls underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging brain scans. High resolution structural images were acquired on a SIEMENS 3T scanner and preprocessed using FreeSurfer software. Subcortical structure volume and cortical thickness were compared between the two groups. We found larger percentage of caudate volume relative to total grey matter (GM) volume in the AN group. Reduced cortical thickness at the left precuneus was also observed in AN patients. Moreover, an interaction between group and hemisphere was found, suggesting that cortical thinning was more prominent in the left hemisphere in AN patients. These findings provide further evidence for structural brain abnormalities in patients with AN.

Keywords: Anorexia nervosa; Caudate nucleus; Precuneus; Structural magnetic resonance imaging.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Anorexia Nervosa / diagnostic imaging
Anorexia Nervosa / pathology*
Brain / diagnostic imaging
Brain / pathology
Case-Control Studies
Caudate Nucleus / diagnostic imaging
Caudate Nucleus / pathology*
Female
Gray Matter / diagnostic imaging
Gray Matter / pathology
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods*
Parietal Lobe / diagnostic imaging
Parietal Lobe / pathology*
Young Adult