Altered anatomical connections of associative and limbic cortico-basal-ganglia circuits in obsessive-compulsive disorder

Invasive neurophysiological recordings in human basal ganglia. What have we learned about non-motor behaviour?

Research into the function of deep brain structures has benefited greatly from microelectrode recordings in animals. This has helped to unravel physiological processes in the healthy and malfunctioning brain. Translation to the human is necessary for improving basic understanding of subcortical structures and their implications in diseases. The use of microelectrode recordings as a standard component of deep brain stimulation surgery offers the most viable route for studying the electrophysiology of single cells and local neuronal populations in important deep structures of the human brain. Most of the studies in the basal ganglia have targeted the motor loop and movement disorder pathophysiology. In recent years, however, research has diversified to include limbic and cognitive processes. This review aims to provide an overview of advances in neuroscience made using intraoperative and post-operative recordings with a focus on non-motor activity in the basal ganglia.

Exploring functional connectivity in large-scale brain networks in obsessive-compulsive disorder: a systematic review of EEG and fMRI studies

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a debilitating psychiatric condition that is difficult to treat due to our limited understanding of its pathophysiology. Functional connectivity in brain networks, as evaluated through neuroimaging studies, plays a pivotal role in understanding OCD. While both electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) have been extensively employed in OCD research, few have fully synthesized their findings. To bridge this gap, we reviewed 166 studies (10 EEG, 156 fMRI) published up to December 2023. In EEG studies, OCD exhibited lower connectivity in delta and alpha bands, with inconsistent findings in other frequency bands. Resting-state fMRI studies reported conflicting connectivity patterns within the default mode network (DMN) and sensorimotor cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) circuitry. Many studies observed decreased resting-state connectivity between the DMN and salience network (SN), implicating the 'triple network model' in OCD. Task-related hyperconnectivity within the DMN-SN and hypoconnectivity between the SN and frontoparietal network suggest OCD-related cognitive inflexibility, potentially due to triple network dysfunction. In conclusion, our review highlights diverse connectivity differences in OCD, revealing complex brain network interplay that contributes to symptom manifestation. However, the presence of conflicting findings underscores the necessity for targeted research to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the pathophysiology of OCD.

Alterations of regional spontaneous brain activity in obsessive-compulsive disorders: A meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Recent studies using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) demonstrate that there is aberrant regional spontaneous brain activity in obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD). Nevertheless, the results of previous studies are contradictory, especially in the abnormal brain regions and the directions of their activities. It is necessary to perform a meta-analysis to identify the common pattern of altered regional spontaneous brain activity in patients with OCD.

METHODS

The present study conducted a systematic search for studies in English published up to May 2023 in PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase. These studies measured differences in regional spontaneous brain activity at the whole brain level using regional homogeneity (ReHo), the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) and the fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF). Then the Anisotropic effect-size version of seed-based d mapping (AES-SDM) was used to investigate the consistent abnormality of regional spontaneous brain activity in patients with OCD.

RESULTS

27 studies (33 datasets) were included with 1256 OCD patients (650 males, 606 females) and 1176 healthy controls (HCs) (588 males, 588 females). Compared to HCs, patients with OCD showed increased spontaneous brain activity in the right inferior parietal gyrus (Brodmann Area 39), left median cingulate and paracingulate gyri (Brodmann Area 24), bilateral inferior cerebellum, right middle frontal gyrus (Brodmann Area 46), left inferior frontal gyrus in triangular part (Brodmann Area 45) and left middle frontal gyrus in orbital part (Brodmann Area 11). Meanwhile, decreased spontaneous brain activity was identified in the right precentral gyrus (Brodmann Area 4), right insula (Brodmann Area 48), left postcentral gyrus (Brodmann Area 43), bilateral superior cerebellum and left caudate (Brodmann Area 25).

CONCLUSIONS

This meta-analysis provided a quantitative review of spontaneous brain activity in OCD. The results demonstrated that the brain regions in the frontal lobe, sensorimotor cortex, cerebellum, caudate and insula are crucially involved in the pathophysiology of OCD. This research contributes to the understanding of the pathophysiologic mechanism underlying OCD and could provide a new perspective on future diagnosis and treatment of OCD.

Reduced olfactory bulb volume and olfactory sulcus depth in obsessive compulsive disorder

Many studies have shown that limbic system abnormalities are seen in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), but the neurobiological changes in OCD are still unclear. Moreover, olfactory bulb volume (OBV) and its association with symptom severity have not been yet investigated in patients with OCD. This is the first study on OBV and olfactory sulcus depth (OSD) values in OCD patients, to the best of our knowledge. Between January 2018 and March 2022, 25 patients with OCD and 26 healthy controls with brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were included. Detailed disease history of OCD patients was taken, and Yale-Brown obsessive-compulsive scale (YBOCS) was applied. The mean age of the patient group was 33.40±9.58, the mean age of the control group was 32.84±8.01. LOBV, ROBV, TOBV, and LOSD in the patient group were significantly lower than in the control group (p=.013, p=.005, p=.001, p=.015, respectively). ROBV and TOBV were negatively correlated with YBOCS total and subscale scores. A negative correlation was found between ROBV and TOBV and disease duration (r=-0.749 and r=-0.640, respectively). The negative correlation of ROBV and TOBV values with disease duration and disease severity can be used to monitor the neurodegenerative process of OCD disease.

Decreased gray matter volume and dynamic functional alterations in medicine-free obsessive-compulsive disorder

BACKGROUND

Previous studies discovered the presence of abnormal structures and functions in the brain regions of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Nevertheless, whether structural changes in brain regions are coupled with alterations in dynamic functional connectivity (dFC) at rest in medicine-free patients with OCD remains vague.

METHODS

Three-dimensional T₁-weighed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and resting-state functional MRI were performed on 50 medicine-free OCD and 50 healthy controls (HCs). Firstly, the differences in gray matter volume (GMV) between OCD and HCs were compared. Then, brain regions with aberrant GMV were used as seeds for dFC analysis. The relationship of altered GMV and dFC with clinical parameters in OCD was explored using partial correlation analysis. Finally, support vector machine was applied to examine whether altered multimodal imaging data might be adopted to distinguish OCD from HCs.

RESULTS

Our findings indicated that GMV in the left superior temporal gyrus (STG) and right supplementary motor area (SMA) was reduced in OCD, and the dFC between the left STG and the left cerebellum Crus I and left thalamus, and between the right SMA and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and left precuneus was decreased at rest in OCD. The brain regions both with altered GMV and dFC values could discriminate OCD from HCs with the accuracy of 0.85, sensitivity of 0.90 and specificity of 0.80.

CONCLUSION

The decreased gray matter structure coupling with dynamic function in the left STG and right SMA at rest may be crucial in the pathophysiology of OCD.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Study on the mechanism of brain network in obsessive-compulsive disorder with multi-model magnetic resonance imaging (registration date: 08/11/2017; registration number: ChiCTR-COC-17,013,301).

Cilia in the Striatum Mediate Timing-Dependent Functions

Almost all brain cells contain cilia, antennae-like microtubule-based organelles. Yet, the significance of cilia, once considered vestigial organelles, in the higher-order brain functions is unknown. Cilia act as a hub that senses and transduces environmental sensory stimuli to generate an appropriate cellular response. Similarly, the striatum, a brain structure enriched in cilia, functions as a hub that receives and integrates various types of environmental information to drive appropriate motor response. To understand cilia's role in the striatum functions, we used loxP/Cre technology to ablate cilia from the dorsal striatum of male mice and monitored the behavioral consequences. Our results revealed an essential role for striatal cilia in the acquisition and brief storage of information, including learning new motor skills, but not in long-term consolidation of information or maintaining habitual/learned motor skills. A fundamental aspect of all disrupted functions was the "time perception/judgment deficit." Furthermore, the observed behavioral deficits form a cluster pertaining to clinical manifestations overlapping across psychiatric disorders that involve the striatum functions and are known to exhibit timing deficits. Thus, striatal cilia may act as a calibrator of the timing functions of the basal ganglia-cortical circuit by maintaining proper timing perception. Our findings suggest that dysfunctional cilia may contribute to the pathophysiology of neuro-psychiatric disorders, as related to deficits in timing perception.

Anatomical distance affects functional connectivity at rest in medicine-free obsessive-compulsive disorder

BACKGROUND

Brain functional abnormalities at rest have been observed in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, whether and how anatomical distance influences functional connectivity (FC) at rest is ambiguous in OCD.

METHODS

Using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data, we calculated the FC of each voxel in the whole-brain and divided FC into short- and long-range FCs in 40 medicine-free patients with OCD and 40 healthy controls (HCs). A support vector machine (SVM) was used to determine whether the altered short- and long-range FCs could be utilized to distinguish OCD from HCs.

RESULTS

Patients had lower short-range positive FC (spFC) and long-range positive FC (lpFC) in the left precentral/postcentral gyrus (t = -5.57 and -5.43; P < 0.05, GRF corrected) and higher lpFC in the right thalamus/caudate, left thalamus, left inferior parietal lobule (IPL) and left cerebellum CrusI/VI (t = 4.59, 4.61, 4.41, and 5.93; P < 0.05, GRF corrected). Furthermore, lower spFC in the left precentral/postcentral gyrus might be used to distinguish OCD from HCs with an accuracy of 80.77%, a specificity of 81.58%, and a sensitivity of 80.00%.

CONCLUSION

These findings highlight that anatomical distance has an effect on the whole-brain FC patterns at rest in OCD. Meanwhile, lower spFC in the left precentral/postcentral gyrus might be applied in distinguishing OCD from HCs.

Cerebellar and basal ganglia motor network predicts trait depression and hyperactivity

In the human brain, the cerebellum (CB) and basal ganglia (BG) are implicated in cognition-, emotion-, and motor-related cortical processes and are highly interconnected, both to cortical regions via separate, trans-thalamic pathways and to each other via subcortical disynaptic pathways. We previously demonstrated a distinction between cognitive and motor CB-BG networks (CCBN, MCBN, respectively) as it relates to cortical network integration in healthy young adults, suggesting the subcortical networks separately support cortical networks. The CB and BG are also implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, Parkinson's, and compulsive behavior; thus, integration within subcortical CB-BG networks may be related to transdiagnostic symptomology. Here, we asked whether CCBN or MCBN integration predicted Achenbach Self-Report scores for anxiety, depression, intrusive thoughts, hyperactivity and inactivity, and cognitive performance in a community sample of young adults. We computed global efficiency for each CB-BG network and 7 canonical resting-state networks for all right-handed participants in the Human Connectome Project 1200 release with a complete set of preprocessed resting-state functional MRI data (N = 783). We used multivariate regression to control for substance abuse and age, and permutation testing with exchangeability blocks to control for family relationships. MCBN integration negatively predicted depression and hyperactivity, and positively predicted cortical network integration. CCBN integration predicted cortical network integration (except for the emotional network) and marginally predicted a positive relationship with hyperactivity, indicating a potential dichotomy between cognitive and motor CB-BG networks and hyperactivity. These results highlight the importance of CB-BG interactions as they relate to motivation and symptoms of depression.

White Matter Alterations of the Goal-Directed System in Patients With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Their Unaffected First-Degree Relatives

BACKGROUND

It has been postulated that the neurobiological mechanism responsible for the onset of symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), especially compulsive behavior, is related to alterations of the goal-directed and habitual learning systems. However, little is known about whether changes in these learning systems co-occur with changes in the white matter structure of patients with OCD and their unaffected first-degree relatives (UFDRs).

METHODS

Diffusion tensor imaging data were acquired from 32 patients with OCD (21 male), 32 UFDRs (16 male), and 32 healthy control subjects (16 male). White matter tracts in the goal-directed and habitual networks were reconstructed with seed-based probabilistic tractography. Partial least squares path modeling was used to measure the covariation between white matter connectivity, psychiatric symptoms, and cognitive flexibility.

RESULTS

Patients with OCD showed reduced connectivity in the fiber tracts within the goal-directed but not within the habitual network compared with healthy control subjects. Using partial least squares path modeling, patients' symptoms were negatively associated with connectivity within the goal-directed but not within the habitual network. Cognitive flexibility was correlated negatively with caudate-dorsolateral prefrontal cortex tracts in patients with OCD. UFDRs also exhibited reduced white matter connectivity in the goal-directed network.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that the balance of learning systems in OCD may be disrupted, mainly impairing white matter in the goal-directed network. Alterations of the goal-directed network could explain overt symptoms and impaired cognitive flexibility in patients with OCD. Similar alterations in the goal-directed network are present in UFDRs. The impaired goal-directed system may be an endophenotype of OCD.

Altered Functional Connectivity Strength at Rest in Medication-Free Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Background

Previous studies explored the whole-brain functional connectome using the degree approach in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, whether the altered degree values can be used to discriminate OCD from healthy controls (HCs) remains unclear.

Methods

A total of 40 medication-free patients with OCD and 38 HCs underwent a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) scan. Data were analyzed with the degree approach and a support vector machine (SVM) classifier.

Results

Patients with OCD showed increased degree values in the left thalamus and left cerebellum Crus I and decreased degree values in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, right precuneus, and left postcentral gyrus. SVM classification analysis indicated that the increased degree value in the left thalamus is a marker of OCD, with an acceptable accuracy of 88.46%, sensitivity of 87.50%, and specificity of 89.47%.

Conclusion

Altered degree values within and outside the cortical-striatal-thalamic-cortical (CSTC) circuit may cocontribute to the pathophysiology of OCD. Increased degree values of the left thalamus can be used as a future marker for OCD understanding-classification.

Disrupted pathways from frontal-parietal cortex to basal ganglia and cerebellum in patients with unmedicated obsessive compulsive disorder as observed by whole-brain resting-state effective connectivity analysis - a small sample pilot study

OBJECTIVE

To date, a systematic characterization of abnormalities in resting-state effective connectivity (rsEC) in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is lacking. The present study aimed to systematically characterize whole-brain rsEC in OCD patients as compared to healthy controls.

METHODS

Using resting-state fMRI data of 50 unmedicated patients with OCD and 50 healthy participants, we constructed whole-brain rsEC networks using Granger causality analysis followed by univariate and multivariate comparisons between patients and controls. Similar analyses were performed for resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) networks to examine how rsFC and rsEC differentially capture abnormal brain connectivity in OCD.

RESULTS

Univariate comparisons identified 10 rsEC networks that were significantly disrupted in patients, and which were mainly associated with frontal-parietal cortex, basal ganglia, and cerebellum. Conversely, abnormal rsFC networks were widely distributed throughout the whole brain. Multivariate pattern analysis revealed a classification accuracy as high as 80.5% for distinguishing patients from controls using combined whole-brain rsEC and rsFC.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of the present study suggest disrupted communication of information from frontal-parietal cortex to basal ganglia and cerebellum in OCD patients. Using combined whole-brain rsEC and rsFC, multivariate pattern analysis revealed a classification accuracy as high as 80.5% for distinguishing patients from controls. The alterations observed in OCD patients could aid in identifying treatment mechanisms for OCD.

Brain circuitry underlying the ABC model of anxiety

Anxiety Disorders are prevalent and often chronic, recurrent conditions that reduce quality of life. The first-line treatments, such as serotonin reuptake inhibitors and cognitive behavioral therapy, leave a significant proportion of patients symptomatic. As psychiatry moves toward targeted circuit-based treatments, there is a need for a theory that unites the phenomenology of anxiety with its underlying neural circuits. The Alarm, Belief, Coping (ABC) theory of anxiety describes how the neural circuits associated with anxiety interact with each other and domains of the anxiety symptoms, both temporally and spatially. The latest advancements in neuroimaging techniques offer the ability to assess these circuits in vivo. Using Neurosynth, a large open-access meta-analytic imaging database, the association between terms related to specific neural circuits was explored within the ABC theory framework. Alarm-related terms were associated with the amygdala, anterior cingulum, insula, and bed nucleus of stria terminalis. Belief-related terms were associated with medial prefrontal cortex, precuneus, bilateral temporal poles, and hippocampus. Coping-related terms were associated with the ventrolateral and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices, basal ganglia, and anterior cingulate. Neural connections underlying the functional neuroanatomy of the ABC model were observed. Additionally, there was considerable interaction and overlap between circuits associated with the symptom domains. Further neuroimaging research is needed to explore the dynamic interaction between the functional domains of the ABC theory. This will pave the way for probing the neuroanatomical underpinnings of anxiety disorders and provide an evidence-based foundation for the development of targeted treatments, such as neuromodulation.

Oscillatory activity in the BNST/ALIC and the frontal cortex in OCD: acute effects of DBS

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis/anterior limb of the internal capsule (BNST/ALIC) is successfully used for treatment of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Clinical and experimental studies have suggested that enhanced network synchronization in the theta band is correlated with severity of symptoms. The mechanisms of action of DBS remain unclear in OCD. We here investigate the effect of acute stimulation of the BNCT/ALIC on oscillatory neuronal activity in patients with OCD implanted with DBS electrodes. We recorded the oscillatory activity of local field potentials (LFPs) from DBS electrodes (contact + 0/- 3; bipolar configuration; both hemispheres) from the BNST/ALIC parallel with frontal cortical electroencephalogram (EEG) one day after DBS surgery in four patients with OCD. BNST/ALIC and frontal EEG oscillatory activities were analysed before stimulation as baseline, and after three periods of stimulation with different voltage amplitudes (1 V, 2 V and 3.5 V) at 130 Hz. Overall, acute high frequency DBS reduced oscillatory theta band (4-8 Hz; p < 0.01) but increased other frequency bands in BNST/ALIC and the frontal cortex (p < 0.01). We show that stimulation of the BNST/ALIC in OCD modulates oscillatory activity in brain regions that are involved in the pathomechanisms of OCD. Our findings confirm and extend the findings that enhanced theta oscillatory activity in neuronal networks may be a biomarker for OCD.

A Subset of Purposeless Oral Movements Triggered by Dopaminergic Agonists Is Modulated by 5-HT2C Receptors in Rats: Implication of the Subthalamic Nucleus

Dopaminergic medication for Parkinson’s disease is associated with troubling dystonia and dyskinesia and, in rodents, dopaminergic agonists likewise induce a variety of orofacial motor responses, certain of which are mimicked by serotonin2C (5-HT_2C) receptor agonists. However, the neural substrates underlying these communalities and their interrelationship remain unclear. In Sprague-Dawley rats, the dopaminergic agonist, apomorphine (0.03–0.3 mg/kg) and the preferential D2/3 receptor agonist quinpirole (0.2–0.5 mg/kg), induced purposeless oral movements (chewing, jaw tremor, tongue darting). The 5-HT_2C receptor antagonist 5-methyl-1-[[2-[(2-methyl-3-pyridyl)oxyl]-5-pyridyl]carbamoyl]-6-trifluoromethylindone (SB 243213) (1 mg/kg) reduced the oral responses elicited by specific doses of both agonists (0.1 mg/kg apomorphine; 0.5 mg/kg quinpirole). After having confirmed that the oral bouts induced by quinpirole 0.5 mg/kg were blocked by another 5-HT_2C antagonist (6-chloro-5-methyl-1-[6-(2-methylpiridin-3-yloxy)pyridine-3-yl carbamoyl] indoline (SB 242084), 1 mg/kg), we mapped the changes in neuronal activity in numerous sub-territories of the basal ganglia using c-Fos expression. We found a marked increase of c-Fos expression in the subthalamic nucleus (STN) in combining quinpirole (0.5 mg/kg) with either SB 243213 or SB 242084. In a parallel set of electrophysiological experiments, the same combination of SB 243213/quinpirole produced an irregular pattern of discharge and an increase in the firing rate of STN neurons. Finally, it was shown that upon the electrical stimulation of the anterior cingulate cortex, quinpirole (0.5 mg/kg) increased the response of substantia nigra pars reticulata neurons corresponding to activation of the “hyperdirect” (cortico-subthalamonigral) pathway. This effect of quinpirole was abolished by the two 5-HT_2C antagonists. Collectively, these results suggest that induction of orofacial motor responses by D2/3 receptor stimulation involves 5-HT_2C receptor-mediated activation of the STN by recruitment of the hyperdirect (cortico-subthalamonigral) pathway.

Disrupted pathways from the frontal-parietal cortices to basal nuclei and the cerebellum are a feature of the obsessive-compulsive disorder spectrum and can be used to aid in early differential diagnosis

A marker for distinguishing patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) spectrum has not yet been identified. Whole-brain resting-state effective and functional connectivity (rsEC and rsFC, respectively) networks were constructed for 50 unmedicated OCD (U-OCD) patients, 45 OCD patients in clinical remission (COCD), 47 treatment-resistant OCD (T-OCD) patients, 42 chronic schizophrenia patients who exhibit OCD symptoms (SCHOCD), and 50 healthy controls (HCs). Multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) was performed to investigate the accuracy of using connectivity alterations to distinguished among the aforementioned groups. Compared to HCs, rsEC connections were significantly disrupted in the U-OCD (n = 15), COCD (n = 8), and T-OCD (n = 19) groups. Additionally, 21 rsEC connections were significantly disrupted in the T-OCD group compared to the SCHOCD group. The disrupted rsEC networks were associated mainly with the frontal-parietal cortex, basal ganglia, limbic regions, and the cerebellum. Classification accuracies for distinguishing OCD patients from HCs and SCHOCD patients ranged from 66.6% to 98.0%. In conclusion, disrupted communication from the frontal-parietal cortices to subcortical basal nuclei and the cerebellum may represent a functional pathological feature of the OCD spectrum. MVPA based on both abnormal rsEC and rsFC patterns may aid in early differential diagnosis of OCD.

The anterior limb of the internal capsule: Anatomy, function, and dysfunction

The last two decades have seen a re-emergence of neurosurgery for severe, refractory psychiatric diseases, largely due to the advent of more precise and safe operative techniques. Nevertheless, the optimal targets for these surgeries remain a matter of debate, and are often grandfathered from experiences in the late 20th century. To better explore the rationale for one target in particular - the anterior limb of the internal capsule (ALIC) - we comprehensively reviewed all available literature on its role in the pathophysiology and treatment of mental illness. We first provide an overview of its functional anatomy, followed by a discussion on its role in several prevalent psychiatric diseases. Given its structural integration into the limbic system and involvement in a number of cognitive and emotional processes, the ALIC is a robust target for surgical treatment of refractory psychiatric diseases. The advent of novel neuroimaging techniques, coupled with image-guided therapeutics and neuromodulatory treatments, will continue to enable study on the ALIC in mental illness.

Abnormal functional network of the thalamic subregions in adult patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder

The thalamus plays an important role in pathological mechanisms underlying obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). As the thalamus is a heterogeneous brain region, functional connectivity (FC) between thalamic subregions and other brain regions is worth investigating in OCD. In addition, the relationship between abnormal FC and clinical symptoms is still unclear. In this study, we used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging to scan 45 OCD patients and 43 well-matched healthy controls (HCs). Thalamic subregions were defined according to the Human Brainnetome Atlas. The fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF) and FC seeding-based connectivity were compared using a two-sample t-test. Correlations between abnormal FC and clinical symptoms were analyzed in OCD patients. Compared with HCs, increased fALFF was found in the bilateral thalamus, and increased FC was observed between the right posterior parietal thalamus (PPtha) and left middle occipital gyrus (LMOG) and between the right occipital thalamus (Otha) and right middle occipital gyrus (RMOG) in OCD patients. In addition, OCD patients had reduced FC between the left sensory thalamus (Stha) and left orbital inferior frontal gyrus, right PPtha and left prefrontal cortex, and between the right Otha and left inferior parietal gyrus (LIPG), respectively. Within the OCD group, the FC between right PPtha-LMOG was correlated with severity of clinical symptoms. These results revealed that the FC between the thalamus and occipital lobe is related to obsessive-compulsive symptoms in OCD patients. This finding provides more accurate information about the involvement of the thalamus in the pathophysiology of OCD.

Deep Brain Stimulation for Refractory Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Towards an Individualized Approach

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a neuropsychiatric disorder featuring repetitive intrusive thoughts and behaviors associated with a significant handicap. Of patients, 20% are refractory to medication and cognitive behavioral therapy. Refractory OCD is associated with suicidal behavior and significant degradation of social and professional functioning, with high health costs. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been proposed as a reversible and controllable method to treat refractory patients, with meta-analyses showing 60% response rate following DBS, whatever the target: anterior limb of the internal capsule (ALIC), ventral capsule/ventral striatum (VC/VS), nucleus accumbens (NAcc), anteromedial subthalamic nucleus (amSTN), or inferior thalamic peduncle (ITP). But how do we choose the "best" target? Functional neuroimaging studies have shown that ALIC-DBS requires the modulation of the fiber tract within the ventral ALIC via the ventral striatum, bordering the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and connecting the medial prefrontal cortex with the thalamus to be successful. VC/VS effective sites of stimulation were found within the VC and primarily connected to the medial orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) dorsomedial thalamus, amygdala, and the habenula. NAcc-DBS has been found to reduce OCD symptoms by decreasing excessive fronto-striatal connectivity between NAcc and the lateral and medial prefrontal cortex. The amSTN effective stimulation sites are located at the inferior medial border of the STN, primarily connected to lateral OFC, dorsal anterior cingulate, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Finally, ITP-DBS recruits a bidirectional fiber pathway between the OFC and the thalamus. Thus, these functional connectivity studies show that the various DBS targets lie within the same diseased neural network. They share similar efficacy profiles on OCD symptoms as estimated on the Y-BOCS, the amSTN being the target supported by the strongest evidence in the literature. VC/VS-DBS, amSTN-DBS, and ALIC-DBS were also found to improve mood, behavioral adaptability and potentially both, respectively. Because OCD is such a heterogeneous disease with many different symptom dimensions, the ultimate aim should be to find the most appropriate DBS target for a given refractory patient. This quest will benefit from further investigation and understanding of the individual functional connectivity of OCD patients.

Altered Functional Connectivity Between the Cerebellum and the Cortico-Striato-Thalamo-Cortical Circuit in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Background: Altered resting-state functional connectivity of the cerebellum in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has been previously reported. However, the previous study investigating cerebellar-cerebral functional connectivity relied on a priori-defined seeds from specific networks. In this study, we aimed to explore the connectivity alterations of the cerebellum in OCD under resting-state conditions with a hypothesis-free approach. Methods: Thirty patients with OCD and 26 healthy controls (HCs) underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning at resting state. Regional cerebral function was evaluated by measuring the fraction of amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF). Regions with mean fALFF (mfALFF) alterations were used as seeds in seed correlation analysis (SCA). An independent samples t test was used to compare the differences in mfALFF and functional connection (FC) between the two groups. Pearson correlation analysis was performed to identify the association between functional neural correlates and OCD symptom severity evaluated using the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS). Results: Compared with the HC group, the OCD group showed significantly increased mfALFF values in bilateral cerebellar. The results of FC analysis showed weakened connectivity among the left Crus II, lobule VIII, and right striatum and between the right lobule VIII and the right striatum, and cingulate in the OCD group compared with the HC group. Some of the abovementioned results were associated with symptom severity. Conclusions: OCD patients showed abnormal spontaneous cerebellar activity and weakened functional connectivity between the cerebellum and the cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) circuit (striatum and cingulate), suggesting that the cerebellum may play an essential role in the pathophysiology of OCD.

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and Tractography of the spinal cord in pediatric population with spinal lipomas: preliminary study

PURPOSE

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) allows studying the micro and macro architecture. One of the major challenges in dysraphism is to know the morphologic organization of the spinal cord. In a preliminary work, spinal lipoma was chosen for analyzing the micro-architecture parameters and fiber morphology of the spinal cord by DTI with tractography.

METHODS

Twelve patients (0-8 years) related to spinal lipomas treated between May 2017 and March 2018 were included. Tractography reconstruction of the conus medullaris of 12 patients were obtained using the MedINRIA software. The diffusion parameters have been calculated by Osirix DTImap plugin.

RESULTS

We found a significant difference in the FA (p = 0.024) between two age groups (< 24 months old and > 24 months old). However, no significant differences in the mean values of FA, RD, and MD between the level of the lipoma and the level above were noted. The tractography obtained in each case was coherent with morphologic sequences and reproducible. The conus medullaris was deformed and shifted. Destruction or disorganization of fibers and any passing inside the lipomas was not observed.

CONCLUSIONS

Tractography of the conus medullaris in a very young pediatric population (0-8 years old) with a spinal lipoma is possible, reproductive, and allows visualization of the spinal cord within the dysraphism. Analysis of the FA shows that the presence of a lipoma seems to have an effect on the myelination of the conus medullaris. It is during the probable myelination phase that the majority of symptoms appear. Is the myelination per se the cause?

Neuroimaging findings in obsessive-compulsive disorder: A narrative review to elucidate neurobiological underpinnings

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common psychiatric illness and significant research has been ongoing to understand its neurobiological basis. Neuroimaging studies right from the 1980s have revealed significant differences between OCD patients and healthy controls. Initial imaging findings showing hyperactivity in the prefrontal cortex (mainly orbitofrontal cortex), anterior cingulate cortex and caudate nucleus led to the postulation of the cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) model for the neurobiology of OCD. However, in the last two decades emerging evidence suggests the involvement of widespread associative networks, including regions of the parietal cortex, limbic areas (including amygdala) and cerebellum. This narrative review discusses findings from structural [Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Diffusion Tensor Imaging(DTI)], functional [(functional MRI (fMRI), Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), Positron emission tomography (PET), functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS)], combined structural and functional imaging studies and meta-analyses. Subsequently, we collate these findings to describe the neurobiology of OCD including CSTC circuit, limbic system, parietal cortex, cerebellum, default mode network and salience network. In future, neuroimaging may emerge as a valuable tool for personalised medicine in OCD treatment.

Abnormal Topology of the Structural Connectome in the Limbic Cortico-Basal-Ganglia Circuit and Default-Mode Network Among Primary Insomnia Patients

Purpose: Primary insomnia (PI) is the second most common mental disorder. However, the topologic alterations in structural brain connectome in patients with PI remain largely unknown. Methods: A total of 44 PI patients and 46 age-, gender-, and education level matched healthy control (HC) participants were recruited in this study. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and resting state MRI were used to construct structural connectome for each participant, and the network parameters were employed by non-parametric permutations to evaluate the significant differences between the two groups. Relationships between abnormal network metrics and clinical characteristics, including the disease duration, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), and the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), were investigated with Spearman's correlation analysis in PI patients. Results: PI patients demonstrated small-world architecture with lower global (P = 0.005) and local (P = 0.035) efficiencies compared with the HC group. The unique hub nodal properties in PI patients were mainly in the right limbic cortico-basal-ganglia circuit. Five disrupted subnetworks in PI patients were observed in the limbic cortico-basal-ganglia circuit and left default-mode networks (DMN) (P < 0.05, NBS corrected). Moreover, most unique hub nodal properties in the right limbic cortico-basal-ganglia circuit were significantly correlated with disease duration, and clinical characteristics (SAS, SDS, ISI scores) in PI processing. Conclusion: These findings suggested the abnormal anatomical network architecture may be closely linked to clinical characteristics in PI. The study provided novel insights into the neural substrates underlying symptoms and neurophysiologic mechanisms of PI.