White matter volume alterations in hair-pulling disorder (trichotillomania)

Publikation: Beitrag in FachzeitschriftForschungsartikelBeigetragenBegutachtung

Beitragende

  • Anne Uhlmann - , Klinik und Poliklinik für Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie, MRC Unit on Risk and Resilience in Mental Disorders, University of Stellenbosch, University of Cape Town (Autor:in)
  • Angelo Dias - , University of Cape Town (Autor:in)
  • Lian Taljaard - , University of Stellenbosch (Autor:in)
  • Dan J Stein - , University of Cape Town (Autor:in)
  • Samantha J Brooks - , University of Cape Town (Autor:in)
  • Christine Lochner - , University of Stellenbosch (Autor:in)

Abstract

Trichotillomania (TTM) is a disorder characterized by repetitive hair-pulling resulting in hair loss. Key processes affected in TTM comprise affective, cognitive, and motor functions. Emerging evidence suggests that brain matter aberrations in fronto-striatal and fronto-limbic brain networks and the cerebellum may characterize the pathophysiology of TTM. The aim of the present voxel-based morphometry (VBM) study was to evaluate whole brain grey and white matter volume alteration in TTM and its correlation with hair-pulling severity. High-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (3 T) data were acquired from 29 TTM patients and 28 age-matched healthy controls (CTRLs). All TTM participants completed the Massachusetts General Hospital Hair-Pulling Scale (MGH-HPS) to assess illness/pulling severity. Using whole-brain VBM, between-group differences in regional brain volumes were measured. Additionally, within the TTM group, the relationship between MGH-HPS scores, illness duration and brain volumes were examined. All data were corrected for multiple comparisons using family-wise error (FWE) correction at p < 0.05. Patients with TTM showed larger white matter volumes in the parahippocampal gyrus and cerebellum compared to CTRLs. Estimated white matter volumes showed no significant association with illness duration or MGH-HPS total scores. No significant between-group differences were found for grey matter volumes. Our observations suggest regional alterations in cortico-limbic and cerebellar white matter in patients with TTM, which may underlie deficits in cognitive and affective processing. Such volumetric white matter changes may precipitate impaired cortico-cerebellar communication leading to a reduced ability to control hair pulling behavior.

Details

OriginalspracheEnglisch
Seiten (von - bis)2202-2209
Seitenumfang8
FachzeitschriftBrain imaging and behavior
Jahrgang14
Ausgabenummer6
PublikationsstatusVeröffentlicht - Dez. 2020
Peer-Review-StatusJa

Externe IDs

Scopus 85095397420
ORCID /0000-0002-1753-7811/work/142248162

Schlagworte

Schlagwörter

  • Brain/diagnostic imaging, Gray Matter/diagnostic imaging, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Trichotillomania/diagnostic imaging, White Matter/diagnostic imaging