Reduced cortical thickness and increased gyrification in generalized anxiety disorder: a 3 T MRI study

2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (12) ◽  
pp. 2001-2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cinzia Molent ◽  
Eleonora Maggioni ◽  
Filippo Cecchetto ◽  
Marco Garzitto ◽  
Sara Piccin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Generalized Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Cortical Thickness ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Gray Matter Volume ◽  
Structural Mri ◽  
Generalized Anxiety ◽  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Mri ◽  
The Right ◽  
Mri Study

AbstractBackgroundAlthough the study of the neuroanatomical correlates of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is gaining increasing interest, up to now the cortical anatomy of GAD patients has been poorly investigated and still no data on cortical gyrification are available. The aim of the present study is to quantitatively examine the cortical morphology in patients with GAD compared with healthy controls (HC) using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study analyzing the gyrification patterns in GAD.MethodsA total of 31 GAD patients and 31 HC underwent 3 T structural MRI. For each subject, cortical surface area (CSA), cortical thickness (CT), gray matter volume (GMV), and local gyrification index (LGI) were estimated in 19 regions of interest using the Freesurfer software. These parameters were then compared between the two groups using General Linear Model designs.ResultsCompared with HC, GAD patients showed: (1) reduced CT in right caudal middle frontal gyrus (p < 0.05, Bonferroni corrected), (2) hyper-gyrification in right fusiform, inferior temporal, superior parietal and supramarginal gyri and in left supramarginal and superior frontal gyri (p < 0.05, Bonferroni corrected). No significant alterations in CSA and GMV were observed.ConclusionsOur findings support the hypothesis of a neuroanatomical basis for GAD, highlighting a possible key role of the right hemisphere. The alterations of CT and gyrification in GAD suggest a neurodevelopmental origin of the disorder. Further studies on GAD are needed to understand the evolution of the cerebral morphology with age and during the clinical course of the illness.

White-matter abnormalities in the right posterior hemisphere in generalized anxiety disorder: a diffusion imaging study

2011 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 427-434 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Brambilla ◽  
G. Como ◽  
M. Isola ◽  
F. Taboga ◽  
R. Zuliani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Generalized Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Parietal Cortex ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Diffusion Imaging ◽  
Generalized Anxiety ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Apparent Diffusion Coefficients ◽  
The Right

BackgroundPrior imaging studies have shown structural, functional and biochemical impairments in patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), particularly in the right hemisphere. In this study we investigated, for the first time to the best of our knowledge, the white-matter microstructure organization in GAD.MethodA total of 12 patients with DSM-IV GAD and 15 matched healthy controls underwent a magnetic resonance imaging session of diffusion weighted imaging, exploring white-matter water molecules by the means of apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs). Regions of interests were placed in the frontal, parietal, temporal and occipital lobes and in the splenium and genu of the corpus callosum, bilaterally.ResultsADC measures were significantly greater in patients with GAD in the right splenium and right parietal cortex compared with healthy controls (p⩽0.002). No significant correlations between ADCs and age or clinical variables were found.ConclusionsWe provide evidence that GAD is associated with disrupted white-matter coherence of posterior right hemisphere regions, which may partly sustain the impaired cognitive regulation of anxiety. Future diffusion imaging investigations are expected to better elucidate the communication between the parietal cortex and other right hemisphere regions in sustaining the cognitive processing of social and emotional stimuli in patients with GAD.

Reduced Frontal Cortical Thickness in Generalized Anxiety Disorder

2015 ◽  
Vol 30 ◽  
pp. 470
Author(s):  
E. Veronese ◽  
M. Ragogna ◽  
M. Meduri ◽  
L. Del Fabro ◽  
F. Canalaz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Generalized Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Cortical Thickness ◽  
Generalized Anxiety

scholarly journals Relation Between Frontal Alpha Asymmetry and Anxiety in Young Patients with Generalized Anxiety Disorder

PRILOZI ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 157-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aneta Demerdzieva ◽  
Nada Pop-Jordanova
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Generalized Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Frontal Region ◽  
Generalized Anxiety ◽  
Alpha Power ◽  
Alpha Asymmetry ◽  
Eyes Closed ◽  
Frontal Alpha Asymmetry ◽  
Eyes Open ◽  
The Right

Abstract Frontal alpha asymmetry (the relative difference in power between two signals in different hemispheres) has been suggested as biomarker for anxiety. The goal of this study was to evaluate alpha asymmetry in the frontal region for young people (7-18 years) with generalized anxiety disorder, diagnosed according to two statistic manuals (DMS-IV-R and ICD-10), the medical history and the neuropsychological assessment. The QEEG recording and analysis of the obtained results from alpha spectra power and log of alpha spectra power are made in four conditions (eyes open, eyes closed, VCPT and ACPT). The obtained results for alpha power in general showed higher cortical activity in the right hemisphere, associated with negative emotions. The calculated alpha asymmetry separate for eyes open, eyes closed, VCPT and ACPT conditions showed the right activation in all four conditions. In addition, the right frontal asymmetry was specific for the Fp1-Fp2 region, while a greater left frontal activation was recorded for the F7-F8 region. The log of alpha power in general was additionally analyzed. The calculated asymmetry score in general (in a way that the left log transformed score was subtracted from the right) confirmed a greater right activation. Testing the power of the whole alpha band (μV2) in general, for all four conditions and for frontal region confirmed the right alpha asymmetries in all participants. The right alpha asymmetry in the frontal region was specific only for the Fp1-Fp2 region (frontopolar region). The only greater left frontal activation was registered between the F7-F8 region. Our findings are supported by many other studies using specific localization methods like fMRI or LORETA source localization.

FC12-06 - On the relevance of comorbidity in psychiatry: EEG loreta in generalized anxiety disorder with and without nonorganic Insomnia

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S2) ◽  
pp. 1881-1881
Author(s):  
G. Saletu-Zyhlarz ◽  
P. Anderer ◽  
B. Saletu
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Generalized Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Occipital Cortex ◽  
Primary Diagnosis ◽  
Generalized Anxiety ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Slow Activity ◽  
Nonorganic Insomnia ◽  
Normal Controls

IntroductionComorbidity is increasingly regarded as important for both diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders.ObjectivesElectrophysiological neuroimaging such as low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (LORETA) may be utilized to obtain insight into the pathogenesis of mental diseases.AimsThe aim of the present study was to compare EEG tomographic data obtained in generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) with and without nonorganic insomnia.MethodsIn the first study, LORETA was performed in 44 untreated patients (25 females) with the primary diagnosis of nonorganic insomnia (F51.0) associated with GAD (F41.1) and 44 age- and sex-matched normal controls. In the second study, 18 patients (9 females) with the primary diagnosis of GAD without mandatory insomnia were compared with 18 controls.ResultsWhile patients with F51.0 and concomitant F41.1 showed an increase in LORETA power in the delta, theta, alpha-1 and alpha-2 frequencies, GAD patients without mandatory insomnia demonstrated a decrease in LORETA power - specifically in delta (more left than right hemisphere, involving occipital cortex, insula, cingulate and frontal cortex) and beta (occipital cortex), mirroring neuroimaging findings on the neural circuitry of anxiety.ConclusionsDifferent EEG LORETA findings were obtained in GAD patients, depending on the comorbidity: While in daytime recordings patients with nonorganic insomnia demonstrated increased slow activities reflecting daytime tiredness and sleepiness, GAD patients without insomnia exhibited a decrease in slow activity and thus hypervigilance. According to the key-lock principle different pharmacological strategies have to be applied, which will be demonstrated on the basis our own data sets.

scholarly journals Widespread Cortical Thickness Reductions Following Non-medical Use of Ketamine: a Structural MRI Study of Individuals with Ketamine Dependence

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinsong Tang ◽  
Qiuxia Wu ◽  
Chang Qi ◽  
An Xie ◽  
Jianbin Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cortical Thickness ◽  
Structural Mri ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Analysis Of Covariance ◽  
P Value ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Brain Images ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal ◽  
The Right ◽  
Mri Study

AbstractBackgroundA version of ketamine, called Esketamine has been approved for treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Ketamine (“K powder”), a “dissociative” anesthetic agent, however, has been used non-medically alone or with other illicit substances. Our previous studies showed a link between non-medical ketamine use and brain structural and functional alterations. We found dorsal prefrontal gray matter reduction in chronic ketamine users. It is unknown, however, whether these observations might parallel findings of cortical thickness alterations. This study aimed at exploring cortical thickness abnormalities following non-medical, long-term use of ketamine.MethodsStructural brain images were acquired for 95 patients with ketamine dependence, and 169 drug-free healthy controls. FreeSurfer software was used to measure cortical thickness for 68 brain regions. Cortical thickness was compared between the two groups using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with covariates of age, gender, educational level, smoking, drinking, and whole brain mean cortical thickness. Results were considered significant if the Bonferroni corrected P-value < 0.01.ResultsCompared to healthy controls, patients with ketamine dependence have widespread decreased cortical thickness, with the most extensive reductions in the frontal (including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, DLPFC) and parietal (including the precuneus) lobes. Increased cortical thickness was not observed in ketamine users relative to comparison subjects. Estimated total lifetime ketamine consumption is correlated with the right inferior parietal and the right rostral middle frontal cortical thickness reductions.ConclusionsThis study provides first evidence that, compared with healthy controls, chronic ketamine users had cortical thickness reductions.

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