PVSAT baseline task activations for control subjects (A) and SLE patients (B).

<p>All of the reported activation clusters survived a FEW-corrected <i>p</i><0.05 at the voxel level and an extent threshold of 30 voxels. In control subjects, the activations were situated in the left superior and inferior parietal lobes, and the left inferior frontal gyrus. For SLE patients, significantly extended activation was found in the left hemisphere in the superior and inferior parietal lobes, the supplementary motor area, and the middle and inferior frontal gyrus. SLE patients (compared to controls) demonstrated increased activation mainly in the left supplementary motor area (C).</p

Results of functional connectivity strength analysis.

<p>Activation areas of the PVSAT task in normal controls were selected as ROIs to test for connectivity strength (A). Compared to the controls, SLE patients exhibited significantly intensified (<i>p</i><0.05) connectivity strength (B); nevertheless, the SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI) score was positively correlated (<i>r</i>=0.525, <i>p</i><0.05) with individual connectivity strength in patients (C).</p

Morphologic and Functional Connectivity Alterations of Corticostriatal and Default Mode Network in Treatment-Naïve Patients with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

<div><p>Background</p><p>Previous studies have demonstrated that structural deficits and functional connectivity imbalances might underlie the pathophysiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The purpose of the present study was to investigate gray matter deficits and abnormal resting-state networks in patients with OCD and further investigate the association between the anatomic and functional alterations and clinical symptoms.</p> <p>Methods</p><p>Participants were 33 treatment-naïve OCD patients and 33 matched healthy controls. Voxel-based morphometry was used to investigate the regions with gray matter abnormalities and resting-state functional connectivity analysis was further conducted between each gray matter abnormal region and the remaining voxels in the brain.</p> <p>Results</p><p>Compared with healthy controls, patients with OCD showed significantly increased gray matter volume in the left caudate, left thalamus, and posterior cingulate cortex, as well as decreased gray matter volume in the bilateral medial orbitofrontal cortex, left anterior cingulate cortex, and left inferior frontal gyrus. By using the above morphologic deficits areas as seed regions, functional connectivity analysis found abnormal functional integration in the cortical-striatum-thalamic-cortical (CSTC) circuits and default mode network. Subsequent correlation analyses revealed that morphologic deficits in the left thalamus and increased functional connectivity within the CSTC circuits positively correlated with the total Y-BOCS score.</p> <p>Conclusion</p><p>This study provides evidence that morphologic and functional alterations are seen in CSTC circuits and default mode network in treatment-naïve OCD patients. The association between symptom severity and the CSTC circuits suggests that anatomic and functional alterations in CSTC circuits are especially important in the pathophysiology of OCD. </p> </div

Positive correlation between total Y-BOCS score and brain gray matter volume and functional connectivity strength in abnormal areas.

<p>L, left; R, right; LOFC, lateral orbitofrontal cortex; MOFC, medial orbitofrontal cortex.</p

Gray matter difference between OCD patients and healthy controls.

<p>The warm color denotes the brain regions having increased gray matter volume, and the cold color denotes the brain regions having reduced gray matter volume in OCD patients. Maps threshold were set at <i>p</i><0.05 with family-wise error correction. </p

Functional connectivity difference between OCD patients and healthy controls.

<p>The red line denotes the brain regions having increased functional connectivity, and the blue line denotes the brain regions having reduced functional connectivity in OCD patients. Maps threshold were set at <i>p</i><0.05 with AlphaSim correction. L, left; R, right; OFC, orbitofrontal cortex; ACC, anterior cingulate cortex; PCC, posterior cingulate cortex. IFG, inferior frontal gyrus; ITG, inferior temporal gyrus; STG, superior temporal gyrus; MTG, middle temporal gyrus. Results are displayed by using the BrainNet Viewer [84] (<a href="http://www.nitrc.org/projects/bnv/" target="_blank"><u>http://www.nitrc.org/projects/bnv/</u></a>).</p