Cortical thickness alternation in obsessive-compulsive disorder patients compared with healthy controls

Cortical morphological abnormalities are one of the neuropathological changes of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The surface-based morphometry (SBM) analyses have reported altered cortical thickness (CTh) among patients with OCD in numerous neuroimaging studies; however, the results have been inconsistent. We are attempting to utilize meta-analysis of whole-brain data to investigate changes in cortical thickness among individuals with OCD. This endeavor may enhance spatial accuracy in identification, thus effectively improving our recognition of OCD and facilitating the development of more precise and efficient treatment strategies. The seed-based d mapping (SDM) approach was employed to conduct a vertex-wise coordinate-based meta-analysis (CBMA) of whole-brain studies that explored CTh alteration among patients with OCD, compared with healthy controls (HCs). A systematic literature search identified 9 studies (containing 9 datasets) of CTh, including 518 patients with OCD and 449 healthy controls (HCs). Overall, patients with OCD showed decreased CTh in the left anterior cingulate / paracingulate gyri, right insula, as well as increased CTh in the left lingual gyrus, left inferior frontal gyrus, orbital part, left superior frontal gyrus, dorsolateral of the regions. Besides, the Meta-regression analyses revealed a negative correlation between age and cortical thickness of the right insula in patients with OCD. Due to the limited number of studies and sample sizes included in the final analysis, as well as partial data missing from some samples, we were unable to conduct a comprehensive subgroup analysis. Besides, the outcomes of meta-regression analyses should be interpreted cautiously due to their reliance on a limited number of studies. The meta-analysis revealed cortical thickness alterations in specific regions of the brain among individuals diagnosed with OCD. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms of OCD brain dysfunction and provide insights for early intervention strategies for the disorder.