强迫症患者局部脑血流灌注研究

目的　探讨强迫症(OCD)患者局部脑血流灌注(rCBF)特点及临床症状与rCBF的关系。方法　对2 8例符合国际疾病分类第1 0版(ICD 1 0 )强迫障碍诊断标准患者和1 5名正常人进行单光子发射计算机断层扫描(SPECT)脑显像分析。用耶鲁 布朗强迫评定量表(YBOCS)、Hamilton焦虑量表(HAMA)和Hamilton抑郁量表(HAMD)对患者临床症状进行评定。结果　OCD患者两侧丘脑、顶叶和基底神经节的平均放射性计数百分数(PMRC)显著高于正常组;右颞PMRC明显低于正常组;且正常组两侧颞叶和顶叶PMRC值差异非常显著。在强迫恐惧/洗涤、回避组,YBOCS强迫行为分量表评分与右基底PMRC显著正相关(r =0 .70 1 )。结论　OCD患者两侧丘脑、顶叶和基底神经节的血流灌注增加和功能亢进;右颞血流灌注减少和功能低下,两侧颞叶和顶叶血流灌注的不对称性与正常人显著不同,后者的不对称性非常显著;在强迫恐惧/洗涤、回避组,强迫行为与右基底节功能增强有关。     

Effects of behavior therapy on regional cerebral blood flow in obsessive-compulsive disorder

Very few functional neuroimaging studies have been performed on patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) undergoing behavior therapy, even though it is recognized to be an effective treatment for this disorder. We measured the regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) using the Xenon inhalation method in 31 treatment-refractory patients with OCD and the same number of age-matched normal controls. We also studied changes in rCBF in 22 OCD patients who had demonstrated a significant improvement after the behavior therapy. The OCD patients showed a significant bilateral elevation in the rCBF in the basal ganglia compared with the normal controls. After successful treatment, a significant decrease was found in the rCBF in the right head of the caudate nucleus that tended to correlate with clinical improvement.     

Neuropsychological performance in obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Neuropsychological functioning was examined in a group of 18 nondepressed patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and 18 age-, education-, and gender-matched normal controls. A recent nonverbal memory deficit was identified in the patients with OCD. From performance on timed and untimed measures of the same constructs, it appears that OCD patients score more poorly than controls when speed is a factor. Although performance on a timed tactual-spatial motor test was also impaired, it is unclear whether this deficit is attributable to the nonverbal memory and/or speed deficits. Deficits in verbal abilities, including recent verbal memory, were not identified. Results were equivocal for executive function and visual-spatial abilities. The previously established association of recent nonverbal memory abilities with functioning of the right mesial temporal area is discussed in the context of current hypotheses about the neuroanatomic substrate of OCD.     

Neuropsychological disturbances and cerebral blood flow in bipolar disorder

OBJECTIVE: To determine and correlate alterations in neuropsychological function and cerebral blood flow in bipolar patients. METHOD: Assessments included the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale, Global Assessment Functioning, Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS), Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), Stroop test, Trail Making Test (TMT), California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT), Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS) and phonetic verbal fluency/controlled oral word association tests. Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) was carried out with the administration of 99mTc-HMPAO. Forty-three outpatients out of 85 fulfilling RDC diagnostic criteria for bipolar disorder and six healthy subjects were included in the study. SPECT and neuropsychological assessments were performed in 30 patients in manic (n = 7), hypomanic (n = 8), depressed (n = 12) or euthymic (n = 3) states. All assessments were carried out before starting treatment. RESULT: Several corrected correlations between neuropsychological function and cerebral blood flow (CBF) were identified: executive function (WCST) and striatal, frontal, temporal, cerebellum, parietal and cingulate CBF; memory (WMS, WAIS-Digits) and striatal, frontal, temporal and parietal CBF; attentional tasks (Stroop) and striatal, temporo-medial and parietal CBF; verbal learning (CVLT) and frontal, posterior temporal, cingulate and occipital CBF; psychomotor disturbances (TMT) and anterior temporal CBF; poorer intelligence performance scores (WAIS-Vocabulary) and cerebellum and parietal CBF. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms the presence of functional disturbances in fronto-subcortical structures, the cerebellum and limbic system in bipolar patients.     

Elevated thalamic and prefrontal regional cerebral blood flow in obsessive-compulsive disorder: a SPECT study

Functional neuroimaging studies have pointed to a possible role of cerebral circuits involving the prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortices, the striatum, and thalamus in the pathophysiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) of 16 drug-free Brazilian patients with OCD and 17 healthy subjects matched for age, gender, handedness and level of education was measured with [99m-Tc] HMPAO single photon emission computed tomography. Analysis of covariance identified four regions of interest with significantly higher rCBF: the right superior and inferior frontal cortex and the right and left thalamus. Positive correlations between symptom severity measured by Clinical Global Impression scores and rCBF were found in the right and left inferior frontal lobes and in the right basal ganglia. Compulsive behavior was inversely correlated with rCBF in the right thalamus, and duration of illness correlated positively with rCBF in the right and left superior frontal lobes and with the right thalamus. The findings of this SPECT study conducted in Brazil are in agreement with prior studies and provide additional support for the involvement of prefrontal-subcortical circuits in the pathophysiology of OCD. Furthermore, the study suggests that similar brain mechanisms appear to be involved cross-culturally.     

Caudate regional cerebral blood flow in obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder and healthy controls on single photon emission computerised tomography

We compared regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in 15 patients with DSM IIIR obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), 15 patients with DSM IIIR panic disorder and 15 healthy controls matched for age, sex and hand preference, using uptake of technetium-99m-D,L-hexamethyl-propylene amine oxime (99mTc HMPAO), on single photon emission computerised tomography (SPECT). Caudate rCBF was significantly reduced in OCD patients compared to healthy subjects and panic disorder patients. When four patients were excluded from each group, right caudate rCBF remained significantly lower in OCD patients than in panic disorder patients or healthy subjects. The data suggest functional involvement of the right caudate nucleus is present in OCD.     

Effects of fluoxetine on regional cerebral blood flow in obsessive-compulsive patients

Six drug-free obsessive-compulsive patients were given single photon emission computerized tomography scans before and during treatment with fluoxetine. The treatment significantly reduced the patients' "hyperfrontality," as determined by the ratio between medial-frontal and whole cerebral cortex blood flow, and significantly lowered ratings of obsessive-compulsive and anxiety symptoms.     

Neuropsychological function in obsessive-compulsive disorder

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic disease characterized by repetitive, unwanted intrusive thoughts and ritualistic behaviors. Studies of neuropsychological functions in OCD have documented deficits in several cognitive domains, particularly with regard to visuospatial abilities, executive functioning, and motor speed. The objective of the present study was to investigate systematically the cognitive functioning of OCD patients who were free of medication and comorbid psychiatric disorders. In the present study, 72 OCD patients were compared with 54 healthy controls on their performance in a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. The Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale were administered to the patients, and a semistructured interview form was used to evaluate the demographic features of the patients and control subjects. Overall, widespread statistically significant differences were found in tests related to verbal memory, global attention and psychomotor speed, and visuospatial and executive functions indicating a poorer performance of the OCD group. A closer scrutiny of these results suggests that the OCD group has difficulty in using an effective learning strategy that might be partly explained by their insufficient mental flexibility and somewhat poor planning abilities.     

Neuropsychological performance in medicated vs. unmedicated patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder

To date, there have been no formal investigations of neuropsychological performance in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) taking psychotropic medications. The purpose of this study was to determine whether medicated and unmedicated patients with OCD demonstrate differences in neuropsychological functioning. Fifty-two patients with a primary DSM-IV diagnosis of OCD participated in the study; 28 were taking serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs), and 24 were treatment-na?ve (n=8) or had finished a washout period prior to their inclusion in other studies (n=16). The groups were well matched with regard to demographic and clinical variables, including symptom severity. Each group was administered a comprehensive neuropsychological battery to assess general intelligence, attention, verbal and non-verbal working memory, declarative and procedural learning, visuo-constructive skills, and executive functions. SRI-medicated did not differ from SRI-free patients on any neuropsychological measure. Benzodiazepines seemed to improve the patients' functioning on a semantic verbal fluency test. In addition, there were significant interactions between SRIs and benzodiazepines on the perseverative errors of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test and on reaction times. SRI-medicated patients with OCD are able to perform on cognitive functioning tests at a comparable level with that of SRI-free patients, and these results have positive implications for OCD patients who respond to SRIs. The interactions between SRIs and benzodiazepines and their effect on cognition in OCD are likely to be complex and deserve further study.     

Mapping of SPECT regional cerebral perfusion abnormalities in obsessive-compulsive disorder

Locations of cerebral perfusion abnormalities in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) were mapped with single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This report is a new, more thorough analysis of a previous study of these subjects that used region-of-interest methods. Ten obsessive-compulsive patients and seven age- and sex-matched control subjects were studied. Image sets were converted into stereotaxic space, normalized to each subject's mean cerebral value, then group averaged. Difference images were calculated and searched for regions with significant between-group cerebral perfusion differences. Obsessive-compulsive patients had significantly higher relative cerebral perfusion in medial-frontal and right frontal cortex and in cerebellum, and significantly reduced perfusion in right visual association cortex. Increased frontal Perfusion agrees with several prior reports. The caudate nucleus, which has been controversial in neuroimaging studies of OCD, did not display a difference between groups. The results of this study provide information about the locations and extents of cerebral perfusion abnormalities in OCD. Regional abnormalities were compared with those reported in prior functional neuroimaging studies. Issues related to OCD hyperfrontality and frontal lateralization of psychopathology are discussed. Normal caudate nucleus findings are considered in relation to prior functional imaging studies and hypotheses of OCD pathology. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Neuropsychological correlates of insight in obsessive-compulsive disorder

Kashyap H, Kumar JK, Kandavel T, Reddy YCJ. Neuropsychological correlates of insight in obsessive–compulsive disorder. Objective: There are limited data on neuropsychological correlates of poor insight in obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). We hypothesize that poor insight may be associated with greater impairment in tasks of conflict resolution/response inhibition and possibly impairment in a task of verbal learning and memory. Method: Insight and neuropsychological functions were assessed in 150 subjects with DSM‐IV OCD. The neuropsychological data of 177 healthy control subjects were used for comparison. Results: Insight score correlated significantly with the Stroop Interference Test for conflict resolution/response inhibition (P = 0.002), and showed trends for significance with the Controlled Oral Word Association (COWA) average for verbal fluency (P = 0.021) and delayed recall on the Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT) for verbal memory (P = 0.015). On regression analysis, the AVLT delayed recall, the COWA average, the Matrix score, the Yale‐Brown Obsessive–Compulsive Scale total score, and current antipsychotic use emerged as significant predictors of poorer insight. Conclusion: Poor insight is associated with greater impairments in conflict resolution/response inhibition, verbal memory, and fluency. Individuals with poorer insight may have difficulty in appropriately processing conflicting information, updating their memory with corrective information, and then accessing this corrective information to modify their irrational beliefs.     

Regional cerebral blood flow abnormalities in early-onset obsessive-compulsive disorder: an exploratory SPECT study

OBJECTIVE: Recent epidemiological and clinical data suggest that obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) may be subtyped according the age of onset of obsessive-compulsive symptoms. The regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) technique was used to investigate whether the pathophysiology of OCD differs between early- and late-onset OCD subjects. METHOD: Resting rCBF was measured in 13 early-onset (<10 years) and 13 late-onset (>12 years) adult OCD subjects and in 22 healthy controls. Voxel-based rCBF comparisons were performed with statistical parametric mapping. RESULTS: Early-onset OCD cases showed decreased rCBF in the right thalamus, left anterior cingulate cortex, and bilateral inferior prefrontal cortex relative to late-onset subjects (p < .0005, uncorrected for multiple comparisons). Relative to controls, early-onset cases had decreased left anterior cingulate and right orbitofrontal rCBF, and increased rCBF in the right cerebellum, whereas late-onset subjects showed reduced right orbitofrontal rCBF and increased rCBF in the left precuneus. In early-onset subjects only, severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms correlated positively with left orbitofrontal rCBF. CONCLUSIONS: rCBF differences in frontal-subcortical circuits between early-onset and late-onset OCD subjects were found, both in location and direction of changes. These results provide preliminary evidence that brain mechanisms in OCD may differ depending on the age at which symptoms are first expressed.     

Neuropsychological functioning in early- and late-onset obsessive-compulsive disorder

Significant relationships have been noted between age of onset and demographics, clinical characteristics, and cerebral metabolic activity in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The authors investigated whether patients with early (N=21) and late (N=17) onset OCD differ with respect to neuropsychological functioning. Results revealed that the late onset OCD group obtained poorer scores on measures of executive function and auditory attention than the early onset group. Late onset OCD was also associated with poorer visual memory relative to healthy comparison subjects. These findings suggest that early and late onset OCD may be the result of at least partially differing neurobiological mechanisms.     

Neuropsychological abnormalities in obsessive-compulsive disorder and their assessments

Neuropsychological test performance of children, adolescents and adults with OCD was very variable. As a group, children and adolescents with OCD had persistent difficulties with executive functions, and show attentional and inhibitory deficits on a continuous performance test. As a group, adults with OCD showed consistent differences in allocation of attention, whether measured by evoked potential, eye movement or reaction time paradigms. They also showed inconsistent problems with visual perceptual discrimination, visual memory and working memory, as well as visuomotor tasks. However, these latter studies all failed to assess attentional capacity concurrently. Traditional measures of lateral prefrontal cortex-basal ganglia functioning tended to be depressed only in those subjects with comorbid depression, obsessional slowness, a large number of neurological soft signs, Tourette's syndrome, and/or lower IQ. Only tasks requiring inhibition of an automatic response correlated with severity of OCD symptoms; these are thought to be subserved by orbitofrontal-subcortical circuits.     

A voxel-based investigation of regional cerebral blood flow abnormalities in obsessive-compulsive disorder using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)

Several functional imaging studies have reported abnormalities of the orbitofrontal and anterior cingulate cortices, striatum and thalamus in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). These studies have often been limited by small patient samples and image analysis methods that rely on region-of-interest (ROI) approaches. We have assessed resting regional cerebral blood flow with 99mTc-ECD SPECT in 26 unmedicated OCD patients and 22 healthy control subjects using the voxel-based Statistical Parametric Mapping method for data analysis. We found a significantly reduced ECD uptake in OCD patients relative to the control subjects in the right lateral orbitofrontal cortex, and in the left dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (P<0.001 two-tailed, uncorrected for multiple comparisons). There were significant positive correlations in the OCD group between the ECD uptake in the left lateral orbitofrontal cortex and ratings for obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS), and between the ECD uptake in the right medial orbitofrontal cortex and the ratings for both OCS and depressive symptoms. There were also unpredicted significant ECD uptake increases in the cerebellum in OCD patients, as well as a negative correlation between posterior cingulate ECD uptake and OCS severity (P<0.05, corrected for multiple testing). These results implicate specific subregions of the orbitofrontal and anterior cingulate cortices in the pathophysiology of OCD, as well as suggesting the involvement of other areas not usually included in ROI-based imaging studies. With the incorporation of voxel-based methods and the use of large patient samples, rCBF-SPECT studies may continue to provide valuable information about the functional anatomy of OCD.     

强迫症的局部脑血流动态显像研究

目的　探讨强迫症患者各脑叶的代谢状态及脑功能异常与其发病的关系。　　方法　采用单光子发射计算机扫描 (SPECT)技术 ,对未服药的 2 2例强迫症患者于静息及症状诱发状态下行局部脑血流 (rCBF)动态显像研究。　　结果　 1 8例有rCBF异常 ,表现为皮层内局限性放射性分布稀疏、缺损区 ,异常脑叶主要为顶叶、额叶、颞叶 ,并发现脑功能异常与强迫症状的严重程度及药物治疗反应有关。　　结论　大脑顶叶、额叶等脑叶的功能异常是部分强迫症发病的神经病理学基础     

首发未经治疗的强迫症患者局部脑血流变化及其与执行功能缺陷的关系

目的 检测强迫症患者大脑局部脑血流(Regional Cerebral Blood flow,rCBF),分析其与执行功能损害的关系.方法 对26例强迫症患者及20例正常对照者,在静息和激活(即执行认知活动)状态下,应用SPECT进行脑rCBF显像.采用统计参数图(Statistical Parametric Mapping,SPM)分析强迫症患者大脑rCBF变化特点.应用威斯康星卡片分类测验改良版(Modified Wisconsin Card Sorting Test,M-WCST)评价其执行功能.结果 与对照组相比,在激活状态下患者组的基底节和左枕叶rCBF增高(Z＞ 3.29,P＜ 0.001),静息状态下左顶下小叶及小脑蚓部rCBF降低(Z＞3.29,P＜0.001);患者组WCST的完成分类数(4.13±2.00)、正确应答数(67.13±10.43)、错误应答数(47.13±22.41)、持续错误数(18.10±11.33)等成绩均差于正常对照组[分别为(5.43±1.10)、(83.37±14.22)、(27.43±13.47)、(5.53±3.36)](JP＜0.05或P＜0.01).患者组WCST与左侧额叶直回、眶回CBF明显相关(Z＞ 3.29,P＜ 0.001).结论 强迫症患者存基底节、枕叶和小脑rCBF灌注异常,执行功能损伤与眶额叶功能有关;强迫症病理机制包括眶额叶-基底节循环,及枕叶和小脑功能紊乱.     

Neuropsychological performance in children and adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder and influence of clinical variables.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have found impairment in visual memory and visual organization in adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), but little is known about the neuropsychological profile of children and adolescents with this disorder. The influence of clinical variables such as age, severity of obsessive-compulsive symptomatology, depressive symptomatology, and pharmacological treatment on cognitive performance in these patients has not been thoroughly studied. METHODS: A neuropsychological battery designed for this study was administered to 35 patients with DSM-IV-TR diagnosis of OCD without psychiatric comorbidity aged between 7 and 18 years and 35 gender- and age-matched healthy subjects. RESULTS: Children and adolescents with OCD performed significantly worse on verbal and visual memory and velocity. When depressive symptomatology was controlled, impairment in visual memory, visual organization, and velocity again was found, but impairment in verbal memory was not. Neuropsychological impairment was not related to age, obsessive-compulsive severity, and pharmacological treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Children and adolescents with OCD without psychiatric comorbidity with acute illness show impairment in visual memory, visual organization, and velocity, similar to adults. The influence of depressive symptomatology is important in cognitive performance. No relation was found between neuropsychology and age, severity of obsessive-compulsive symptomatology, or pharmacological treatment in this study.     

注意缺陷多动障碍患儿局部脑血流灌注的研究

为探讨注意缺陷多动障碍（ＡＤＨＤ）局部脑血流（ｒＣＢＦ）特点及其可能的病理生理机制，应用单光子发射计算机断层扫描测定了１７例ＡＤＨＤ患儿和１１名正常儿童ｒＣＢＦ灌注情况。定性分析结果显示，ＡＤＨＤ患儿低ｒＣＢＦ灌注量的发生率（３５％）高于正常儿童（９％），低灌注部位涉及额叶、颞叶、枕叶和丘脑；半定量分析显示，左基底节灌注明显低于右侧（Ｐ＜０．０１），右侧扣带回和颞叶灌注低于左侧相应部位（Ｐ＜０．０５）。提示额叶－基底神经节环路在ＡＤＨＤ的病理生理机制中起重要作用。