A3-D Multiple Voxel1H Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Study Of In Untreated Adult Patients With Obsessive-Ompulsive Disorder

Objective:Adopting3-D multiple voxel1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy(1H MRS) to evaluatepotential differences in regional brain metabolite concentrations between untreated adult patintswith obsessive-compulsive disorder(OCD) and healthy controls, and to assess the relationshipsbetween levels of clinical measures and regional regional brain metabolite concentrations.Method:Thirteen untreated adult OCD patients and13age-and sex-matched healthy comparisonsubjects were included in this study.3-D multiple voxel1H MRS was used to study potentialdifferences in regional brain metabolites.Levels of N-acetylaspartate(NAA) and choline(Cho) weremeasure in term of their ratios with creatine(Cr).Results:No significant differences were found between OCD patients and healthy controls for theNAA/Cr ratios in the anterior cingulated cortex, the middle cingulated cortex, the right and leftfrontal white matter, the right and the left thalamus and the right and the left lenticular nuclci(p>0.05). The Cho/Cr ratios was significant lower among OCD patients than among healthycontrols in the middle cingulated cortex(p<0.05). The Cho/Cr ratios was significant higheramong OCD patients than among healthy controls in the left frontal white matter(p<0.05).Nosignificant differences were found between OCD patients and healthy controls for the Cho/Crratios in the anterior cingulated cortex, the right frontal white matter, the right and the left thalamusand the right and the left lenticular nuclci(p>0.05).A positive correlation between symptom severity of anxiety and the NAA/Cr ratios in themiddle cingulated cortex(p<0.05). No significant correlation between symptom severity ofOCD,anxiety and depression and the NAA/Cr ratios in the anterior cingulated cortex, the right andleft frontal white matter, the right and the left thalamus and the right and the left lenticular nuclci(p>0.05). No significant correlation between symptom severity of OCD and depression and theNAA/Cr ratios in the the middle cingulated cortex(p>0.05). No significant correlation betweensymptom severity of OCD,anxiety and depression and the Cho/Cr ratios in the anterior cingulated cortex, the middle cingulated cortex, the right and left frontal white matter, the right and the leftthalamus and the right and the left lenticular nuclci(p>0.05).Conclusions:These data suggest that reductions in neuronal cell membrane disorder occur in the middlecingulated cortex and the left frontal white matter region of OCD patients and that these resultsprovide a new evidence for cortical-striatum-thalamus-cortical nerronal circuit theory.