Layer-specific reduced neuronal density in the orbitofrontal cortex of older adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder

Author(s):Show less -

de Oliveira, Katia Cristina ^{[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]} ; Grinberg, Lea Tenenholz ^{[1, 2, 7]} ; Hoexter, Marcelo Queiroz ^[3] ; Brentani, Helena ^{[8, 9, 10]} ; Suemoto, Claudia Kimie ^{[11, 1, 2]} ; Nery, Fabiano Goncalves ^[4] ; Lima, Luzia Carreira ^{[1, 2]} ; Di Lorenzo Alho, Ana Tereza ^{[12, 1, 2, 5]} ; Farfel, Jose Marcelo ^{[11, 1, 2]} ; de Lucena Ferretti-Rebustini, Renata Eloah ^{[13, 1, 2]} ; Paraizo Leite, Renata Elaine ^{[11, 1, 2]} ; Moretto, Ariane Cristine ^{[1, 2, 4]} ; da Silva, Alexandre Valotta ^{[12, 1, 2]} ; Lafer, Beny ^{[8, 4]} ; Miguel, Euripedes Constantino ^{[8, 3, 9]} ; Nitrini, Ricardo ^{[14, 11, 1, 2]} ; Jacob-Filho, Wilson ^{[11, 1, 2]} ; Heinsen, Helmut ^{[1, 2, 5]} ; Pasqualucci, Carlos Augusto ^{[1, 2, 6]}

Affiliation:Show less -

^[1] Brazilian Aging Brain Study Grp, Brain Bank, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Sch Med, HCFMUSP LIM 22, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Sch Med, Dept Psychiat, Program Spectrum Disorders Obsess Compuls Disorde, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[4] Univ Sao Paulo, Sch Med, Dept Psychiat, Bipolar Disorder Res Program PROMAN, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[5] Univ Hosp Wuerzburg, Mental Hlth Ctr, Dept Psychiat Psychosomat & Psychotherapy, Wurzburg - Germany

^[6] Univ Sao Paulo, Fac Med, Dept Patol, Ave Dr Arnaldo 455, 1 Andar, Sala 1353, BR-01246903 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[7] Memory & Aging Ctr, Dept Neurol, San Francisco, CA - USA

^[8] Univ Sao Paulo, Sch Med, Dept Psychiat, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[9] CNPq Sao Paulo, Natl Inst Dev Psychiat Children & Adolescents, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[10] Univ Sao Paulo, Sch Med, LIM Inst Psychiat 23, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[11] Univ Sao Paulo, Sch Med, Discipline Geriatr, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[12] Hosp Israelita Albert Einstein, Inst Brain, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[13] Univ Sao Paulo, Sch Nursing, Med Surg Nursing Dept, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[14] Univ Sao Paulo, Sch Med, Dept Neurol, Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Brain Structure & Function; v. 224, n. 1, p. 191-203, JAN 2019.
• Web of Science Citations: 2

Abstract

Neurobiological models have provided consistent evidence of the involvement of cortical-subcortical circuitry in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), involved in motivation and emotional responses, is an important regulatory node within this circuitry. However, OFC abnormalities at the cellular level have so far not been studied. To address this question, we have recruited a total of seven senior individuals from the Sao Paulo Autopsy Services who were diagnosed with OCD after an extensive post-mortem clinical evaluation with their next of kin. Patients with cognitive impairment were excluded. The OCD cases were age- and sex-matched with 7 control cases and a total of 14 formalin-fixed, serially cut, and gallocyanin-stained hemispheres (7 subjects with OCD and 7 controls) were analyzed stereologically. We estimated laminar neuronal density, volume of the anteromedial (AM), medial orbitofrontal (MO), and anterolateral (AL) areas of the OFC. We found statistically significant layer- and region-specific lower neuron densities in our OCD cases that added to a deficit of 25% in AM and AL and to a deficit of 21% in MO, respectively. The volumes of the OFC areas were similar between the OCD and control groups. These results provide evidence of complex layer and region-specific neuronal deficits/loss in old OCD cases which could have a considerable impact on information processing within orbitofrontal regions and with afferent and efferent targets. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 11/21357-9 - Research on neural circuits and biological markers involved in obsessive-compulsive disorder using behavioral paradigms of fear and anxiety
• Grantee: Eurípedes Constantino Miguel Filho
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants