Gray matter alterations in visual cortex of patients with loss of central vision due to hereditary retinal dystrophies

In patients with central visual field scotomata a large part of visual cortex is not adequately stimulated. Over time this lack of input could lead to a reduction of gray matter in the affected cortical areas. We used Voxel Based Morphometry to investigate structural brain changes in patients with central scotomata due to hereditary retinal dystrophies and compared their results to those of normal sighted subjects. Additionally we correlated clinical and demographic characteristics like duration of disease, scotoma size, visual acuity, fixation stability and reading speed to the amount of gray matter in whole brain analyses within the patient group. We found a decrease in gray matter around the lesion projection zone in visual cortex of patients in comparison to controls. Gray matter loss along the posterior and middle portions of the calcarine sulcus is also correlated with scotoma size, indicating that indeed the lack of functional input provokes the gray matter alterations. In whole brain regression analyses within the patient group we found an additional cluster in the right superior and middle frontal gyri, slightly anterior to the frontal eye fields, where gray matter correlated positively with fixation stability. This could be regarded as a consequence of oculomotor learning.     

Neuroanatomical correlates of visual car expertise

Expertise in non-visual domains such as musical performance is associated with differences in gray matter volume of particular regions of the human brain. Whether this is also the case for expertise in visual object recognition is unknown. Here we tested whether individual variability in the ability to recognize car models, from novice performance to high level of expertise, is associated with specific structural changes in gray matter volume. We found that inter-individual variability in expertise with cars was significantly and selectively correlated with gray matter volume in prefrontal cortex. Inter-individual differences in the recognition of airplanes, that none of the participants had expertise with, were correlated with structural variability of regions bordering the visual cortex. These results highlight the role of prefrontal regions outside the visual cortex in accessing and processing visual knowledge about objects from the domain of expertise and suggest that expertise in visual object recognition may entail structural changes in regions associated with semantic knowledge.     

Cortical intercorrelations of frontal area volumes in schizophrenia

BACKGROUND: Abnormal regional volume intercorrelations between selected cortical areas in schizophrenia patients were previously reported in several MRI studies. METHODS: A detailed analysis of frontal gray and white matter volume correlations with Brodmann's area volumes in the rest of the cortex was undertaken in normal subjects (n = 42) and patients with schizophrenia (n = 106), divided into good-outcome (n = 52) and poor-outcome (Kraepelinian; n = 54) subtypes. RESULTS: Frontal gray matter volumes were correlated with temporal lobe volumes in schizophrenics but not in normal subjects. Some frontal-parietal and frontal-occipital correlations showed a similar pattern. In comparison to normal subjects, schizophrenia patients showed weaker or absent intercorrelations intrafrontally, specifically between left motor-premotor and eye-movement areas (4, 6, 8) and dorsolateral area 44, as well as between left areas 9 and 46 vs. area 24 (cingulate gyrus). Poor outcome among patients with schizophrenia was associated with weaker correlations between left frontal area 9 and both medial and lateral temporal cortices, as compared to normal subjects or good-outcome patients. CONCLUSIONS: There appears to be a structural component in the task or symptom-related dysfunctional interactions between the frontal and more posterior cortical regions with preferential pathological involvement of frontotemporal and more limited involvement of frontoparietal and fronto-occipital systems in schizophrenia. Impaired regional associations within the frontal lobe, between left motor-premotor and Broca's areas, may play a role in language processing deficits in schizophrenia, while frontocingulate disconnection may result in working memory disturbances. Poor outcome may be associated with more widespread disconnections between prefrontal vs. cingulate and temporal regions in the left hemisphere, consistent with a disruption along the course of the left cingulum or uncinate bundles.     

原发性痛经患者灰质体积改变与临床指标的相关性: 基于体素形态学测量技术

  目的  基于体素形态学测量技术探究原发性痛经患者脑灰质体积改变及其与临床量表评分间的相关性。  方法  收集符合纳入标准的41例原发性痛经患者和41例健康对照者在月经来潮的第1~3天内进行高分辨率T1结构像扫描,并且填写痛经程度量表、COX痛经症状量表、焦虑自评量表、抑郁自评量表。采用SPM8软件在全脑水平比较灰质体积,观察两组灰质体积显著变化的脑区。  结果  原发性痛经患者较健康对照脑灰质体积缩小,差异脑区主要包括:左侧眶部额中回、左侧前扣带回、右侧前扣带回（P < 0.001）,未发现灰质体积明显增加的脑区。痛经组和健康组在痛经程度量表、COX痛经症状量表、焦虑自评量表、抑郁自评量表评分的差异有统计学意义（P < 0.001）。左侧前扣带回与痛经程度量表、COX痛经症状量表、焦虑自评量表、抑郁自评量表评分存在负相关关系。  结论  基于体素形态学测量技术可以准确评估原发性痛经患者脑灰质微结构改变,这些灰质体积缩小的脑区主要涉及疼痛传递、处理及情绪调节相关的脑区,其灰质体积的变化在原发性痛经疼痛的发生及持续中可能有着重要作用。      

β-Amyloid affects frontal and posterior brain networks in normal aging

Although deposition of β-amyloid (Aβ), a pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD), has also been reported in cognitively intact older people, its influence on brain structure and cognition during normal aging remains controversial. Using PET imaging with the radiotracer Pittsburgh compound B (PIB), structural MRI, and cognitive measures, we examined the relationships between Aβ deposition, gray matter volume, and cognition in older people without AD. Fifty-two healthy older participants underwent PIB-PET and structural MRI scanning and detailed neuropsychological tests. Results from the whole-brain voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis revealed that gray matter volume in the left inferior frontal cortex was negatively associated with amyloid deposition across all participants whereas reduced gray matter volume was shown in the posterior cingulate among older people with high amyloid deposition. When gray matter density measures extracted from these two regions were related to other brain regions by applying a structural covariance analysis, distinctive frontal and posterior brain networks were seen. Gray matter volume in these networks in relation to cognition, however, differed such that reduced frontal network gray matter volume was associated with poorer working memory performance while no relationship was found for the posterior network. The present findings highlight structural and cognitive changes in association with the level of Aβ deposition in cognitively intact normal elderly and suggest a differential role of Aβ-dependent gray matter loss in the frontal and posterior networks in cognition during normal aging.     

Brain anatomy differences in childhood stuttering

Stuttering is a developmental speech disorder that occurs in 5% of children with spontaneous remission in approximately 70% of cases. Previous imaging studies in adults with persistent stuttering found left white matter deficiencies and reversed right-left asymmetries compared to fluent controls. We hypothesized that similar differences might be present indicating brain development differences in children at risk of stuttering. Optimized voxel-based morphometry compared gray matter volume (GMV) and diffusion tensor imaging measured fractional anisotropy (FA) in white matter tracts in 3 groups: children with persistent stuttering, children recovered from stuttering, and fluent peers. Both the persistent stuttering and recovered groups had reduced GMV from normal in speech-relevant regions: the left inferior frontal gyrus and bilateral temporal regions. Reduced FA was found in the left white matter tracts underlying the motor regions for face and larynx in the persistent stuttering group. Contrary to previous findings in adults who stutter, no increases were found in the right hemisphere speech regions in stuttering or recovered children and no differences in right-left asymmetries. Instead, a risk for childhood stuttering was associated with deficiencies in left gray matter volume while reduced white matter integrity in the left hemisphere speech system was associated with persistent stuttering. Anatomical increases in right hemisphere structures previously found in adults who stutter may have resulted from a lifetime of stuttering. These findings point to the importance of considering the role of neuroplasticity during development when studying persistent forms of developmental disorders in adults.     

A comprehensive assessment of gray and white matter volumes and their relationship to outcome and severity in schizophrenia

Preliminary data suggest an association of posterior cortical gray matter reduction with poor outcome in schizophrenia. We made a systematic MRI assessment of regional gray and white matter volumes, parcellated into 40 Brodmann's areas, in 104 patients with schizophrenia (51 with good outcomes, 53 with poor outcomes) and 41 normal comparison subjects, and investigated correlations of regional morphometry with outcome and severity of the illness. Schizophrenia patients displayed differential reductions in frontal and to a lesser degree temporal gray matter volumes in both hemispheres, most pronounced in the frontal pole and lateral temporal cortex. White matter volumes in schizophrenia patients were bilaterally increased, primarily in the frontal, parietal, and isolated temporal regions, with volume reductions confined to anterior cingulate gyrus. In patients with schizophrenia as a group, higher illness severity was associated with reduced temporal gray matter volumes and expanded frontal white matter volumes in both hemispheres. In comparison to good-outcome group, patients with poor outcomes had lower temporal, occipital, and to a lesser degree parietal gray matter volumes in both hemispheres and temporal, parietal, occipital, and posterior cingulate white matter volumes in the right hemisphere. While gray matter deficits in the granular cortex were observed in all schizophrenia patients, agranular cortical deficits in the left hemisphere were peculiar to patients with poor outcomes. These results provide support for frontotemporal gray matter reduction and frontoparietal white matter expansion in schizophrenia. Poor outcome is associated with more posterior distribution (posteriorization) of both gray and white matter changes, and with preferential impairment in the unimodal visual and paralimbic cortical regions.     

慢性梗阻性肺部病变患者脑皮质MRI形态学初步研究

目的研究应用基于体素的形态学分析(VBM)方法,观察慢性梗阻性肺部病变(COPD)患者的大脑皮质变化。材料与方法搜集在住院中的COPD患者(患者组)25例和年龄、性别、文化背景等相似的志愿者(对照组)25例进行肺功能、精神状态检查及血气分析。二组均行3D T1WI检查,采用VBM、FSL分析软件(簇体积减少70体素)。应用一般线性模型进行统计学分析,计算两组的全脑灰质总体积,基于体素比较两组全脑灰质各个体素体积的差异。结果COPD患者日常生活活动性、简易精神状态测试、视觉重建及数字记忆测试预测值明显低于正常人。患者额叶的双侧眶回、双侧额下回三角区(Broca区),以及双额内側回、右侧前岛回及深部核团等局部灰质体积较正常对照组减少(P值均0.01)。以统计学t值最大的体素在MNI中的坐标值分析,萎缩最明显的Brodmann脑区主要有47脑区(额上叶皮层)、双侧的13脑区(岛叶皮层)、22脑区(颞上回),及双侧的32脑区(前上扣带回皮层)、24脑区(前下扣带回皮质)。结论COPD患者的多个脑区可出现皮层体积的减少。损伤区域主要涉及前额叶皮质,以及双额内側回、右侧前岛回。与阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停、先天性中枢呼气不足综合征以及高海拔居民的脑损伤部位相一致。     

Structural neural correlates of prosaccade and antisaccade eye movements in healthy humans

We previously reported that prosaccade amplitude gain and antisaccade error rate are correlated with cerebellar and posterior frontal grey matter volume, respectively. This study sought to replicate and extend these findings in a sample of 32 right-handed, healthy volunteers (14 males, 18 females). Participants underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 1.5 T and an off-line eye movement assessment using infrared oculography at 500 Hz. Separate blocks of prosaccades and antisaccades were carried out (60 trials each). Optimised volumetric voxel-based morphometry (VBM) implemented in SPM99 was used to investigate the relationship of saccadic performance measures to regional grey matter volume, covarying for age. A significant negative correlation was obtained between prosaccade spatial error and grey matter volume in the right inferior cerebellar lobe (lobule VIIIB, extending into the vermis, centred at x = 11; y = -64; z = -61), indicating that more grey matter volume in this area was associated with better spatial accuracy. On the antisaccade task, the error rate was significantly negatively correlated with grey matter volume in the right middle frontal gyrus (Brodmann area 6) in an area anterior to the frontal eye field (centred at x = 27; y = 18; z = 50), indicating that more grey matter volume in this area was associated with fewer antisaccade errors. These findings extend our previous observations by identifying the relationship between brain structure and saccadic performance on a spatially highly localised scale and support the validity of structural neuroimaging methods in delineating the neural mechanisms underlying human oculomotor control.     

Optimized voxel-based morphometry in children with developmental dyscalculia

Developmental dyscalculia (DD) is a specific learning disability affecting the normal acquisition of arithmetic skills. Current studies estimate that 3-6% of the school population is affected by DD. Genetic, neurobiological, and epidemiologic evidence indicates that dyscalculia is a brain-based disorder. Imaging studies suggest the involvement of parietal and prefrontal cortices in arithmetic tasks. The aim of the present study was to analyze if children with DD show structural differences in parietal, frontal, and cingulate areas compared to typically achieving children. Magnetic resonance imaging was obtained from 12 children with DD aged 9.3+/-0.2 years and 12 age-matched control children without any learning disabilities on a 1.5 T whole-body scanner. Voxel-based morphometry analysis with an optimization of spatial segmentation and normalization procedures was applied to compare the two groups in order to find differences in cerebral gray and white matter. Compared to controls, children with DD show significantly reduced gray matter volume in the right intraparietal sulcus (IPS), the anterior cingulum, the left inferior frontal gyrus, and the bilateral middle frontal gyri. White matter comparison demonstrates clusters with significantly less volume in the left frontal lobe and in the right parahippocampal gyrus in dyscalculic children. The decreased gray and white matter volumes in the frontoparietal network might be the neurological substrate of impaired arithmetic processing skills. The white matter volume decrease in parahippocampal areas may have influence on fact retrieval and spatial memory processing.     

前庭性偏头痛患者基于体素的脑灰质体积研究

目的采用基于体素的形态分析法(voxel-based morphological analysis,VBM)分析前庭性偏头痛(vestibular migraine,VM)患者大脑灰质体积改变区域,以期提供临床病理生理方面的新思路。材料与方法严格按照纳入标准及排除标准,招募了17例VM患者及20例健康对照组。所有受试者均接受头部三维T1加权像磁共振成像(magnetic resonance imaging,MRI)扫描,采用VBM技术对两组大脑灰质体积进行比较,探索与该疾病病理生理相关的局部灰质变化。结果与健康对照组相比,VM患者小脑、小脑蚓部、前扣带回、眶部额中回、右颞横回,枕颞内侧回、右侧角回体积减少(P<0.001,FEW校正)。结论VM患者存在多个疼痛伤害性和多感觉整合性脑区域的灰质体积异常,出现体积改变的中枢性脑区域可能参与了该疾病的病理生理机制。     

基于体素的形态学方法评价急性脊髓损伤患者脑灰白质体积改变

目的 采用基于体素的形态学（VBM）分析方法探讨急性脊髓损伤（SCI）患者脑灰白质体积改变。方法 对16例急性SCI患者（受伤时间< 30天,SCI组）和20名年龄、性别匹配的正常志愿者（对照组）行脑3D T1W序列扫描,采用VBM分析方法比较2组脑灰白质体积,获得脑灰质体积差异有统计学意义的脑区;测量或计算脑组织体积（BTV）、全脑体积（TIV）、脑灰质体积（GMV）、脑白质体积（WMV）、脑脊液体积（CSFV）和脑灰质分数（GMF）、脑白质分数（WMF）和脑组织分数（BTF）。结果 与对照组相比,SCI组双侧下额叶、岛叶、内侧前额叶及前扣带皮质、小脑后叶灰质体积减小,内囊水平皮质脊髓束体积减小。SCI组与对照组间GMV、WMV、CSFV、BTV、TIV及GMF、WMF、BTF差异均无统计学意义（P均> 0.05）。结论急性SCI导致远隔部位情绪处理相关脑区灰质及皮质脊髓束萎缩,有助于探讨急性SCI对大脑结构产生影响的作用机制。     

Relationship between performance on tests of basic visual functions and visual-perceptual processing in persons after brain injury.

OBJECTIVE: In this correlational study of adults receiving occupational therapy who sustained a cerebrovascular accident (CVA), the relationship between basic visual functions (including acuity, visual field deficits, oculomotor skills, and visual attention or scanning) and higher level visual-perceptual processing skills (e.g., visual closure and figure-ground discrimination) was investigated. METHOD: Thirty adults who sustained CVA and 20 adults without a history of CVA were given a basic visual function screening and the Motor-Free Visual Perception Test (MVPT). Scores on the vision screening and the MVPT were correlated statistically. RESULTS: A Pearson product-moment correlation analysis produced a correlation of r = .75 between vision screening scores and scores from the MVPT. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that a positive relation exists between basic visual functions and visual-perceptual processing skills. Further, the results suggest that evaluation of visual-perceptual processing skills must begin with assessment of basic visual functions so that the influence of these basic visual functions on performance in more complex tests can be taken into consideration.     

Correlation between baseline regional gray matter volume and global gray matter volume decline rate

Evaluating whole-brain or global gray matter volume decline rate is important in distinguishing neurodegenerative diseases from normal aging and in anticipating cognitive decline over a given period in non-demented subjects. Whether a significant negative correlation exists between baseline regional gray matter volume of several regions and global gray matter volume decline in the subsequent time period in healthy subjects has not yet been clarified. Therefore, we analyzed the correlation between baseline regional gray matter volumes and the rate of global gray matter volume decline in the period following baseline using magnetic resonance images of the brains of 381 healthy subjects by applying a longitudinal design over 6 years using voxel-based morphometry. As a result, the annual percentage change in gray matter ratio (GMR, APC(GMR)), in which GMR represents the percentage of gray matter volume in the intracranial volume, showed a significant negative correlation with the baseline regional gray matter volumes of the right posterior cingulate cortex/precuneus and the left hippocampus. Additionally, baseline regional gray matter volume of both the right PCC/precuneus and the left hippocampus significantly distinguished whether the APC(GMR) was above or below the mean of APC(GMR). Our results suggest that baseline regional gray matter volume predicts the rate of global gray matter volume decline in the subsequent period in healthy subjects. Our study may contribute to distinguishing neurodegenerative diseases from normal aging and to predicting cognitive decline.     

Neuroimaging of individuals with Down's syndrome at-risk for dementia: evidence for possible compensatory events

BACKGROUND: We report functional and structural brain indicators that may precede the onset of dementia in individuals with Down's syndrome (DS). METHODS: Middle-aged adults with DS (n=19), a group known to be at high risk for dementia, were studied with (1) positron emission tomography (PET) to determine cerebral glucose metabolic rate (GMR), (2) structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to determine gray matter volume (GM), and (3) ratings of potential dementia indicators based on a structured interview of caregiver observations designed to evaluate individuals with low intelligence. RESULTS: Although none of the participants showed clinical signs of dementia, ratings of dementia indicators were correlated to both functional and structural imaging. The strongest correlations (p<.05, corrected for multiple comparisons) included the combination of higher GMR and decreased GM volume in parts of the temporal cortex, including the parahippocampus/hippocampus, in the thalamus, caudate, and frontal lobe (BA 47). INTERPRETATION: The combination of increased GMR overlapping with less gray matter in these areas may be consistent with a compensatory brain response to an early stage of the disease process.     

Perception of matching and conflicting audiovisual speech in dyslexic and fluent readers: an fMRI study at 3 T

We presented phonetically matching and conflicting audiovisual vowels to 10 dyslexic and 10 fluent-reading young adults during "clustered volume acquisition" functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) at 3 T. We further assessed co-variation between the dyslexic readers' phonological processing abilities, as indexed by neuropsychological test scores, and BOLD signal change within the visual cortex, auditory cortex, and Broca's area. Both dyslexic and fluent readers showed increased activation during observation of phonetically conflicting compared to matching vowels within the classical motor speech regions (Broca's area and the left premotor cortex), this activation difference being more extensive and bilateral in the dyslexic group. The between-group activation difference in conflicting > matching contrast reached significance in the motor speech regions and in the left inferior parietal lobule, with dyslexic readers exhibiting stronger activation than fluent readers. The dyslexic readers' BOLD signal change co-varied with their phonological processing abilities within the visual cortex and Broca's area, and to a lesser extent within the auditory cortex. We suggest these findings as reflecting dyslexic readers' greater use of motor-articulatory and visual strategies during phonetic processing of audiovisual speech, possibly to compensate for their difficulties in auditory speech perception.     

Automated morphometric study of brain variation in XXY males

This paper studies brain morphometry variation associated with XXY males (Klinefelter's syndrome) by using an automated whole-brain volumetric analysis method. The application to 34 XXY males and 62 normal male controls reveals pronounced volume reduction in the brains of XXY males, relative to the brains of normal controls, localized at the insula, temporal gyri, amygdala, hippocampus, cingulate, and occipital gyri. Most of these statistically significant regions are in the gray matter structures, with the exception of one cluster of atrophy involved in white matter structure, i.e., right parietal lobe white matter. Compared to previous findings documented in the literature, our findings provide a better spatial localization of the affected regions. In addition to the reduction of local volume, overall enlargement of ventricles and overall volume reduction of both white matter and gray matter are also found in XXY males.     

Structural brain alterations associated with dyslexia predate reading onset

Functional magnetic resonance imaging studies have reported reduced activation in parietotemporal and occipitotemporal areas in adults and children with developmental dyslexia compared to controls during reading and reading related tasks. These patterns of regionally reduced activation have been linked to behavioral impairments of reading-related processes (e.g., phonological skills and rapid automatized naming). The observed functional and behavioral differences in individuals with developmental dyslexia have been complemented by reports of reduced gray matter in left parietotemporal, occipitotemporal areas, fusiform and lingual gyrus and the cerebellum. An important question for education is whether these neural differences are present before reading is taught. Developmental dyslexia can only be diagnosed after formal reading education starts. However, here we investigate whether the previously detected gray matter alterations in adults and children with developmental dyslexia can already be observed in a small group of pre-reading children with a family-history of developmental dyslexia compared to age and IQ-matched children without a family-history (N = 20/mean age: 5:9 years; age range 5:1-6:5 years). Voxel-based morphometry revealed significantly reduced gray matter volume indices for pre-reading children with, compared to children without, a family-history of developmental dyslexia in left occipitotemporal, bilateral parietotemporal regions, left fusiform gyrus and right lingual gyrus. Gray matter volume indices in left hemispheric occipitotemporal and parietotemporal regions of interest also correlated positively with rapid automatized naming. No differences between the two groups were observed in frontal and cerebellar regions. This discovery in a small group of children suggests that previously described functional and structural alterations in developmental dyslexia may not be due to experience-dependent brain changes but may be present at birth or develop in early childhood prior to reading onset. Further studies using larger sample sizes and longitudinal analyses are needed in order to determine whether the identified structural alterations may be utilized as structural markers for the early identification of children at risk, which may prevent the negative clinical, social and psychological outcome of developmental dyslexia.     

Progressive atrophy in the optic pathway and visual cortex of early blind Chinese adults: A voxel-based morphometry magnetic resonance imaging study

Many previous neuroimaging studies have shown that the early visual cortex of the early blind (EB) exhibits significant functional plasticity. However, only few previous studies have addressed the question whether or not such functional plasticity is accompanied by, and even related to, structural plasticity. In this study, we acquired high-resolution whole-brain anatomical magnetic resonance images form 14 Chinese EB adults, who lost sight before 6 years of age, and 16 age/gender-matched normal-sighted controls (SC), and compared pixel-by-pixel the gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) volumes between the two groups with voxel-based morphometry. The results showed that, relative to the SC, the EB exhibits significantly reduced WM volumes in the optic tract and optic radiation and significant GM losses in the early visual cortex. The reduction of WM volume in the optic radiation of the EB was found be modulated by both the age at blindness onset and the duration of blindness. The reduction of GM volume in the early visual cortex of the EB appeared to be unaffected by the age at blindness onset. However, it was found in localized regions of the atrophic early visual cortex of the EB that the GM loss was progressive with aging and increasing duration of blindness. These results suggest that early visual deprivation induces significant structural plasticity in the optic pathway and early visual cortex of the EB, which likely occurs during both the critical period of early neurodevelopment and the course of persisted blindness later in life through activity-dependent mechanisms.     

Brain structural correlates of depressive comorbidity in obsessive-compulsive disorder

The high comorbidity of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) with major depressive disorder (MDD) suggests common neurobiological substrates. We assessed the contribution of lifetime MDD to brain structural alterations in OCD using magnetic resonance imaging. OCD patients with (n=33) or without (n=39) lifetime MDD, and 72 control subjects were assessed. Comparative region of interest (ROI) analyses assessed the contribution of lifetime MDD to gray matter volume alterations in OCD patients. Interregional correlations of gray matter volume were also examined and voxelwise analyses were performed to identify alterations in other brain regions. OCD patients with lifetime MDD showed a larger reduction of medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC) gray matter volume. Both OCD groups showed distinct correlations of mOFC gray matter volume with other relevant brain regions. For patients with MDD, this involved the medial frontal gyrus, and right insula and amygdala regions, whereas for those OCD patients without MDD, the rostral anterior cingulate cortex was involved. Our findings support existing evidence suggesting a non-specific involvement of mOFC alterations in a range of neuropsychiatric disorders. Nevertheless, volume reduction in this region, together with an abnormal pattern of interregional correlations with other emotion-relevant brain areas, may contribute to explain the diathesis for MDD comorbidity in OCD.