White Matter Microstructure and Connectivity in Patients with Obsessive-compulsive Disorder and Their Unaffected Siblings

Objective: We aimed to examine white matter microstructure and connectivity in individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and their unaffected siblings, relative to healthy controls.

Methods: Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) scans were acquired in 30 patients with OCD, 21 unaffected siblings, and 31 controls. We examined white matter microstructure using measures of fractional anisotropy (FA), radial diffusivity (RD), and axial diffusivity (AD). Structural networks were examined using network-based statistic (NBS).

Results: Compared to controls, OCD patients showed significantly reduced FA and increased RD in clusters traversing the left forceps minor, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, anterior thalamic radiation, and cingulum. Furthermore, the OCD group displayed significantly weaker connectivity (quantified by the streamline count) compared to controls in the right hemisphere, most notably in edges connecting subcortical structures to temporo-occipital cortical regions. The sibling group showed intermediate streamline counts, FA and RD values between OCD and healthy control groups in connections found to be abnormal in patients with OCD. However, these reductions did not significantly differ compared to controls.

Conclusion: Therefore, siblings of OCD patients display intermediate levels in dMRI measures of microstructure and connectivity, suggesting white matter abnormalities might be related to the familial predisposition for OCD.