Dong Chunyu, Zheng Hao, Shen Hailong, Wan Yu, Xu Yinghong, Li Ying, Ping Liangliang, Yu Hao, Liu Chuanxin, Cui Jian, Li Kun, Zhou Cong
School of Mental Health, Jining Medical University, Jining, China.
Department of Psychiatry, Shandong Daizhuang Hospital, Jining, China.
Brain Imaging Behav. 2025 May 7. doi: 10.1007/s11682-025-01010-z.
Neuropathological changes, such as those found in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), often include cortical morphological abnormalities. Neuroimaging research has indicated that individuals with OCD typically exhibit altered cortical thickness (CTh) through surface-based morphometry (SBM) analyses. Yet, the findings have been hit or miss, with inconsistent results across various studies. We are employing meta-analytic techniques on comprehensive brain imaging data to examine variations in CTh in patients with OCD. This approach could refine spatial precision in detection, thereby sharpening our diagnostic capabilities for OCD and paving the way for more targeted therapeutic interventions. The seed-based d mapping (SDM) method was utilized to perform a vertex-wise, coordinate-based meta-analysis (CBMA) examining CTh differences across whole-brain studies in OCD patients relative to healthy controls (HCs). This analytical approach systematically compared structural neuroimaging findings between clinical and control groups. A comprehensive review of existing research uncovered 9 relevant studies (containing 9 distinct datasets) examining CTh in OCD. The analysis incorporated data from 518 OCD patients and 449 HCs. The findings revealed significant cortical thinning in the left anterior cingulate and paracingulate gyri, along with the right insula among OCD patients. Conversely, increased CTh was observed in several left-hemisphere regions, including the lingual gyrus, orbital portion of the inferior frontal gyrus, and dorsolateral aspect of the superior frontal gyrus. Moreover, the meta-regression results indicated an inverse relationship between age and the thickness of the right insula cortex in those suffering from OCD. However, the analysis was constrained by the small pool of studies and samples, as well as incomplete data from certain participants, which hindered a thorough subgroup examination. Additionally, the results of the meta-regression should be viewed with caution, as they are based on a relatively limited number of studies. The analysis did show changes in CTh in certain brain areas for OCD patients, which adds to our knowledge of the intricate workings of OCD-related brain abnormalities. These insights could potentially serve as valuable landmarks for diagnosing and treating OCD. Clinical trial number: Not applicable.
神经病理学变化，如在强迫症（OCD）中发现的那些变化，通常包括皮质形态异常。神经影像学研究表明，患有强迫症的个体通常通过基于表面的形态测量（SBM）分析表现出皮质厚度（CTh）改变。然而，研究结果并不稳定，各项研究结果不一致。我们正在对综合脑成像数据采用荟萃分析技术，以检查强迫症患者的CTh变化。这种方法可以提高检测的空间精度，从而提高我们对强迫症的诊断能力，并为更有针对性的治疗干预铺平道路。基于种子点的d映射（SDM）方法被用于进行逐顶点、基于坐标的荟萃分析（CBMA），以检查强迫症患者与健康对照（HCs）相比全脑研究中的CTh差异。这种分析方法系统地比较了临床组和对照组之间的结构神经影像学结果。对现有研究的全面回顾发现了9项相关研究（包含9个不同的数据集），这些研究检查了强迫症中的CTh。该分析纳入了518名强迫症患者和449名HCs的数据。研究结果显示，强迫症患者的左前扣带回和旁扣带回以及右侧岛叶存在明显的皮质变薄。相反，在几个左半球区域观察到CTh增加，包括舌回、额下回眶部和额上回背外侧。此外，荟萃回归结果表明，强迫症患者的年龄与右侧岛叶皮质厚度呈负相关。然而，该分析受到研究和样本数量少以及某些参与者数据不完整的限制，这阻碍了全面的亚组检查。此外，荟萃回归结果应谨慎看待，因为它们基于相对有限的研究数量。该分析确实显示了强迫症患者某些脑区的CTh变化，这增加了我们对强迫症相关脑异常复杂机制的认识。这些见解可能潜在地作为诊断和治疗强迫症的有价值标志。临床试验编号：不适用。
