Posterior orbitofrontal sulcogyral pattern associated with orbitofrontal cortex volume reduction and anxiety trait in panic disorder

Abstract

Aims: The posterior region of the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), which forms its sulcogyral pattern during neurodevelopment, receives multisensory inputs. The purpose of the present study was to assess the relationship between posterior OFC sulcogyral pattern and OFC volume difference in patients with panic disorder. Methods: The anatomical pattern of the posterior orbital sulcus (POS) was classified into three subtypes (absent POS, single POS, double POS) using 3‐D high‐spatial resolution magnetic resonance images obtained from 28 patients with panic disorder and 28 age‐ and gender‐matched healthy controls. Optimized voxel‐based morphometry (VBM) was performed to assess OFC volume differences between the two groups by subtype. Categorical regression analysis was applied to examine the association of POS subtypes with State–Trait Anxiety Inventory and Revised Neuroticism‐Extraversion‐Openness Personality Inventory scores. Results: No significant difference was found in POS subtype distribution between control subjects and patients with panic disorder. VBM, however, indicated volume reduction in the right posterior–medial OFC region in panic disorder patients with absent POS and single POS. Single POS was positively associated with Trait‐Anxiety (β = 0.446, F = 6.409, P = 0.020), and absent POS was negatively associated with Trait‐Anxiety (β = −0.394, F = 5.341, P = 0.032) and Neuroticism trait (β = −0.492, F = 6.989, P = 0.017). Conclusions: POS subtypes may be relevant to volume reduction in OFC and the anxiety trait in patients with panic disorder. These findings suggest that volume reduction in OFC in panic disorder may be associated with neurodevelopment.

Frontal Infarcts and Anxiety in Stroke

“…Voxel-based morphometry studies have identified reduced gray matter volume in the right orbito-frontal cortex and right inferior frontal gyrus in patients with panic disorder. 10 The main limitation of this study is that the assessment of PSA was made only once, at the 3-month follow-up. Patients who could not give consent because of dementia or aphasiaassociated left-side infarcts were also excluded.…”

Individual differences in the Behavioral Inhibition System are associated with orbitofrontal cortex and precuneus gray matter volume

“…Besides healthy individuals, structural abnormalities in the OFC have been found in patients with affective (Bremner et al, 2002;Lacerda et al, 2004) and anxiety disorders (Hayano et al, 2009;Roppongi et al, 2010;Sobanski et al, 2010). A reduced regional brain volume in the OFC has been related to reduced gyrification and anxiety-related traits in panic disorder (Roppongi et al, 2010).…”

“…A reduced regional brain volume in the OFC has been related to reduced gyrification and anxiety-related traits in panic disorder (Roppongi et al, 2010). Roppongi et al suggested that given the lack of differences in gyrification between patients with panic disorders and healthy controls, anxiety-related volume changes in the OFC could be associated with neurodevelopment in these patients rather than with other factors associated with their clinical condition, such as aversive life events.…”

Clarifying the heterogeneity in psychopathic samples: Towards a new continuum of primary and secondary psychopathy

“…Furthermore, vmPFC dysfunction is observed in many different clinical conditions marked by emotional disturbances such as panic disorder, bipolar disorder, substance abuse, and major depressive disorder (Alia-Klein et al, 2011;Altshuler et al, 2008;Lacerda et al, 2004;Roppongi et al, 2010;Tanabe et al, 2009). Therefore, vmPFC dysfunctionality is not unique to secondary psychopathy but could be the neural substrate through which the comorbidity between a variety of clinical conditions marked by emotional dysregulation can be explained.…”