Functional connectivity between pre-supplementary motor area and inferior parietal lobule associated with impaired motor response inhibition in first-degree relatives of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder

Abstract

Previous studies have suggested that specific fronto-striatal circuits are associated with impaired motor response inhibition in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and their relatives. However, no study has investigated the underlying resting-state network associated with motor response inhibition in the unaffected first-degree relatives of patients with OCD. We measured motor response inhibition using stop-signal task, and obtained resting-state fMRI in 23 first-degree relatives and 52 healthy control participants. We explored the group differences in the functional network from seed regions-of-interest (ROIs) associated with motor response inhibition abilities. We used the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA) as seed-ROIs. A significant group difference was observed in functional connectivity between the pre-SMA and inferior parietal lobule. In the relative group, reduced functional connectivity between these areas was associated with a longer stop-signal reaction time. Additionally, relatives showed significantly greater functional connectivity between the IFG and SMA, precentral, and postcentral areas. Our results could provide new insights into the resting-state neural activity of the pre-SMA underlying impaired motor response inhibition of unaffected first-degree relatives. In addition, our results suggested that relatives have an altered connectivity of the sensorimotor region, similar to that of patients with OCD shown in previous literature.

Theoretical Analysis of the Brain and Artificial Intelligence

“…The phenomenon of a direct correspondence between the optical depiction of a given accomplishment and its subsequent execution was initially expounded upon within the present context. Tomiyama et al [11] have established that the inferior parietal lobule (IPL) is merely a component of a more extensive network that encompasses human mirror neurons. The atypical behavior of mirror neurons appears to serve a role in the neural regions of the human brain that are implicated in the replication of actions, by conveying somatosensory feedback related to intended and observed actions.…”