A structural MRI study of cortical thickness in depersonalisation disorder
Mauricio Sierra, Steffen Nestler, Emma-Louise Jay, Christine Ecker, Yue Feng, Anthony S. David
Received: October 9, 2013; Received in revised form: February 7, 2014; Accepted: June 26, 2014; Published Online: July 09, 2014
Highlights
Abstract
Depersonalisation disorder (DPD) is characterised by a sense of unreality about the self and the world. Research suggests altered autonomic responsivity and dysfunction in prefrontal and temporal lobe areas in this condition. We report the first structural magnetic resonance imaging study of 20 patients with DPD and 21 controls using the FreeSurfer analysis tool employing both region-of-interest and vertex-based methods. DPD patients showed significantly lower cortical thickness in the right middle temporal region according to both methods of analysis. The vertex-based method revealed additional differences in bilateral temporal lobes, inferior frontal regions, the right posterior cingulate, and increased thickness in the right gyrus rectus and left precuneus. Clinical severity scores were negatively correlated with cortical thickness in middle and right inferior frontal regions. In sum, grey matter changes in the frontal, temporal, and parietal lobes are associated with DPD. Further research is required to specify the functional significance of the findings and whether they are vulnerability or disease markers.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0925492714001723
Mauricio Sierra, Steffen Nestler, Emma-Louise Jay, Christine Ecker, Yue Feng, Anthony S. David
Received: October 9, 2013; Received in revised form: February 7, 2014; Accepted: June 26, 2014; Published Online: July 09, 2014
Highlights
- We studied whole-brain grey and white matter changes in depersonalisation disorder.
- Region-of-interest and vertex-based analyses produced partially overlapping results.
- Reduced cortical thickness in temporal lobe represents the most consistent finding.
- The role of structural deviations as biomarkers warrants further consideration.
Abstract
Depersonalisation disorder (DPD) is characterised by a sense of unreality about the self and the world. Research suggests altered autonomic responsivity and dysfunction in prefrontal and temporal lobe areas in this condition. We report the first structural magnetic resonance imaging study of 20 patients with DPD and 21 controls using the FreeSurfer analysis tool employing both region-of-interest and vertex-based methods. DPD patients showed significantly lower cortical thickness in the right middle temporal region according to both methods of analysis. The vertex-based method revealed additional differences in bilateral temporal lobes, inferior frontal regions, the right posterior cingulate, and increased thickness in the right gyrus rectus and left precuneus. Clinical severity scores were negatively correlated with cortical thickness in middle and right inferior frontal regions. In sum, grey matter changes in the frontal, temporal, and parietal lobes are associated with DPD. Further research is required to specify the functional significance of the findings and whether they are vulnerability or disease markers.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0925492714001723
