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Thalamic Subregions and Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms in 2,500 Children From the General Population

Thalamic Subregions and Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms in 2,500 Children From the General Population

Authors :
Chris Vriend
Cees J. Weeland
Tonya White
Odile A. van den Heuvel
Ysbrand D. van der Werf
Manon H.J. Hillegers
Henning Tiemeier
Chaim Huyser
Anatomy and neurosciences
Amsterdam Neuroscience - Compulsivity, Impulsivity & Attention
Psychiatry
Amsterdam Neuroscience - Brain Imaging
Amsterdam Neuroscience - Systems & Network Neuroscience
Amsterdam Neuroscience - Neurodegeneration
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry / Psychology
Epidemiology
Source :
Weeland, C J, Vriend, C, van der Werf, Y, Huyser, C, Hillegers, M, Tiemeier, H, White, T & van den Heuvel, O A 2022, ' Thalamic Subregions and Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms in 2,500 Children From the General Population ', Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, vol. 61, no. 2, pp. 321-330 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2021.05.024, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 61(2), 321-330. Elsevier Limited, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 61(2), 321-330. Elsevier Ltd.
Publication Year :
2022
Publisher :
Elsevier BV, 2022.

Abstract

Objective Pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and clinically relevant obsessive-compulsive symptoms in the general population are associated with increased thalamic volume. It is unknown whether this enlargement is explained by specific thalamic subregions. The relation between obsessive-compulsive symptoms and volume of thalamic subregions was investigated in a population-based sample of children. Method Obsessive-compulsive symptoms were measured in children (9–12 years of age) from the Generation R Study using the Short Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Screener (SOCS). Thalamic nuclei volumes were extracted from structural 3T magnetic resonance imaging scans using the ThalamicNuclei pipeline and regrouped into anterior, ventral, intralaminar/medial, lateral, and pulvinar subregions. Volumes were compared between children with symptoms above clinical cutoff (probable OCD cases, SOCS ≥ 6, n = 156) and matched children without symptoms (n = 156). Linear regression models were fitted to investigate the association between continuous SOCS score and subregional volume in the whole sample (N = 2500). Results Children with probable OCD had larger ventral nuclei compared with children without symptoms (d = 0.25, p = .025, false discovery rate adjusted p = .126). SOCS score showed a negative association with pulvinar volume when accounting for overall thalamic volume (β = −0.057, p = .009, false discovery rate adjusted p = .09). However, these associations did not survive multiple testing correction. Conclusion The results suggest that individual nuclei groups contribute in varying degrees to overall thalamic volume in children with probable OCD, although this did not survive multiple comparisons correction. Understanding the role of thalamic nuclei and their associated circuits in pediatric OCD could lead toward treatment strategies targeting these circuits.

Details

ISSN :
08908567
Volume :
61
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
Accession number :
edsair.doi.dedup.....d55193ea06fc9e6fe7f15bb5ac859646
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2021.05.024