An overview of the first 5 years of the ENIGMA obsessive-compulsive disorder working group: The power of worldwide collaboration.

Neuroimaging has played an important part in advancing our understanding of the neurobiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). At the same time, neuroimaging studies of OCD have had notable limitations, including reliance on relatively small samples. International collaborative efforts to increase statistical power by combining samples from across sites have been bolstered by the ENIGMA consortium; this provides specific technical expertise for conducting multi-site analyses, as well as access to a collaborative community of neuroimaging scientists. In this article, we outline the background to, development of, and initial findings from ENIGMA's OCD working group, which currently consists of 47 samples from 34 institutes in 15 countries on 5 continents, with a total sample of 2,323 OCD patients and 2,325 healthy controls. Initial work has focused on studies of cortical thickness and subcortical volumes, structural connectivity, and brain lateralization in children, adolescents and adults with OCD, also including the study on the commonalities and distinctions across different neurodevelopment disorders. Additional work is ongoing, employing machine learning techniques. Findings to date have contributed to the development of neurobiological models of OCD, have provided an important model of global scientific collaboration, and have had a number of clinical implications. Importantly, our work has shed new light on questions about whether structural and functional alterations found in OCD reflect neurodevelopmental changes, effects of the disease process, or medication impacts. We conclude with a summary of ongoing work by ENIGMA-OCD, and a consideration of future directions for neuroimaging research on OCD within and beyond ENIGMA.

Brain structural covariance networks in obsessive-compulsive disorder: a graph analysis from the ENIGMA Consortium.

Brain structural covariance networks reflect covariation in morphology of different brain areas and are thought to reflect common trajectories in brain development and maturation. Large-scale investigation of structural covariance networks in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) may provide clues to the pathophysiology of this neurodevelopmental disorder. Using T1-weighted MRI scans acquired from 1616 individuals with OCD and 1463 healthy controls across 37 datasets participating in the ENIGMA-OCD Working Group, we calculated intra-individual brain structural covariance networks (using the bilaterally-averaged values of 33 cortical surface areas, 33 cortical thickness values, and six subcortical volumes), in which edge weights were proportional to the similarity between two brain morphological features in terms of deviation from healthy controls (i.e. z-score transformed). Global networks were characterized using measures of network segregation (clustering and modularity), network integration (global efficiency), and their balance (small-worldness), and their community membership was assessed. Hub profiling of regional networks was undertaken using measures of betweenness, closeness, and eigenvector centrality. Individually calculated network measures were integrated across the 37 datasets using a meta-analytical approach. These network measures were summated across the network density range of K = 0.10-0.25 per participant, and were integrated across the 37 datasets using a meta-analytical approach. Compared with healthy controls, at a global level, the structural covariance networks of OCD showed lower clustering (P < 0.0001), lower modularity (P < 0.0001), and lower small-worldness (P = 0.017). Detection of community membership emphasized lower network segregation in OCD compared to healthy controls. At the regional level, there were lower (rank-transformed) centrality values in OCD for volume of caudate nucleus and thalamus, and surface area of paracentral cortex, indicative of altered distribution of brain hubs. Centrality of cingulate and orbito-frontal as well as other brain areas was associated with OCD illness duration, suggesting greater involvement of these brain areas with illness chronicity. In summary, the findings of this study, the largest brain structural covariance study of OCD to date, point to a less segregated organization of structural covariance networks in OCD, and reorganization of brain hubs. The segregation findings suggest a possible signature of altered brain morphometry in OCD, while the hub findings point to OCD-related alterations in trajectories of brain development and maturation, particularly in cingulate and orbitofrontal regions.

Online Theta Frequency Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation for Cognitive Remediation in Schizophrenia: A Case Report and Review of Literature.

Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), a noninvasive brain stimulation technique that uses low-intensity alternating current, has been postulated to be a potential therapeutic option in treating the cognitive deficits in schizophrenia. Transcranial alternating current stimulation synchronizes the neural oscillations to the applied stimulation frequency in the stimulated cortical regions. In this report, we have reviewed the literature pertinent to the clinical application of tACS in psychiatric disorders; in addition, we have described the clinical use of online theta tACS in a schizophrenia patient with cognitive deficits. Online theta tACS led to improvement in working memory, attention, processing speed, and emotional processing. The beneficial effect of tACS persisted during reassessment of the patient after 50 days. Transcranial alternating current stimulation, given its noninvasiveness, safety, and ease of administration, has the potential to ameliorate cognitive deficits in neuropsychiatric disorders like schizophrenia.

Gene polymorphisms and response to transcranial direct current stimulation for auditory verbal hallucinations in schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE: Recent observations demonstrate a significant ameliorative effect of add-on transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) in schizophrenia. Of the many SNPs, NRG1 rs35753505 and catechol-o-methyl transferase (COMT) rs4680 polymorphisms have shown to have a strong association with neuroplasticity effect in schizophrenia. METHODS: Schizophrenia patients (n=32) with treatment resistant auditory hallucinations were administered with an add-on tDCS. The COMT (rs4680) and NRG1 (rs35753505) genotypes were determined. The COMT genotypes were categorised into Val group (GG; n=15) and Met group (GG/AG; n=17) and NRG1 genotypes were categorised into AA group (n=12) and AG/GG group (n=20). RESULTS: The reduction in auditory hallucination sub-scale score was significantly affected by COMT-GG genotype [Time×COMT interaction: F(1,28)=10.55, p=0.003, ɳ2=0.27]. Further, COMT-GG effect was epistatically influenced by the co-occurrence of NRG1-AA genotype [Time×COMT×NRG1 interaction: F(1,28)=8.09, p=0.008, ɳ2=0.22]. Irrespective of genotype, females showed better tDCS response than males [Time×Sex interaction: F(1,21)=4.67, p=0.04, ɳ2=0.18]. CONCLUSION: COMT-GG and NRG1-AA genotypes aid the tDCS-induced improvement in AVHs in schizophrenia patients. Our preliminary observations need replication and further systematic research to understand the neuroplastic gene determinants that modulate the effect of tDCS.

Transcranial direct current stimulation and neuroplasticity genes: implications for psychiatric disorders.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive and well-tolerated brain stimulation technique with promising efficacy as an add-on treatment for schizophrenia and for several other psychiatric disorders. tDCS modulates neuroplasticity; psychiatric disorders are established to be associated with neuroplasticity abnormalities. This review presents the summary of research on potential genetic basis of neuroplasticity-modulation mechanism underlying tDCS and its implications for treating various psychiatric disorders. METHOD: A systematic review highlighting the genes involved in neuroplasticity and their role in psychiatric disorders was carried out. The focus was on the established genetic findings of tDCS response relationship with BDNF and COMT gene polymorphisms. RESULT: Synthesis of these preliminary observations suggests the potential influence of neuroplastic genes on tDCS treatment response. These include several animal models, pharmacological studies, mentally ill and healthy human subject trials. CONCLUSION: Taking into account the rapidly unfolding understanding of tDCS and the role of synaptic plasticity disturbances in neuropsychiatric disorders, in-depth evaluation of the mechanism of action pertinent to neuroplasticity modulation with tDCS needs further systematic research. Genes such as NRG1, DISC1, as well as those linked with the glutamatergic receptor in the context of their direct role in the modulation of neuronal signalling related to neuroplasticity aberrations, are leading candidates for future research in this area. Such research studies might potentially unravel observations that might have potential translational implications in psychiatry.

Neural basis of tDCS effects on auditory verbal hallucinations in schizophrenia: a case report evidence for cortical neuroplasticity modulation.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been reported to ameliorate auditory hallucinations that are nonresponsive/minimally responsive to antipsychotic treatment in schizophrenia. The neurobiological basis of the tDCS effects in ameliorating auditory hallucinations is yet to be explored. In this case report, for the first time, using the novel method for noninvasive assessment of cortical plasticity, we demonstrate potential neuroplasticity effect of tDCS in improving treatment-resistant auditory hallucinations in a schizophrenic patient.

Peptide Drugs: Current Status and it's Applications in the Treatment of Various Diseases.

Peptides represent a class of natural molecules with diverse physiological functions, including hormone regulation, neurotransmission, and immune modulation. In recent years, peptide- based therapeutics have gained significant attention in pharmaceutical research and development due to their high specificity, efficacy, and relatively low toxicity. This review provides an overview of the current landscape of peptide drug development, highlighting the challenges faced in their formulation and delivery and the innovative strategies employed to overcome these hurdles. The review explores the wide range of applications of peptide drugs in treating various diseases, including HIV, multiple sclerosis, osteoporosis, chronic pain, diabetes, and cancer. Examples of FDA-approved peptide drugs and ongoing clinical trials are presented, showcasing the continuous advancements in peptide-based therapeutics across different therapeutic areas. This review underscores the promising potential of peptide drugs as targeted and effective treatments for a multitude of medical conditions, offering improved therapeutic outcomes and enhanced patient care.

Repetition-Dependent Adaptation and Prediction Error Signalling in Schizophrenia Patients With Auditory Hallucinations: A Roving Mismatch Negativity Study.

BACKGROUND: Dysregulated prediction error-signalling may explain auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia (SZ-AH). Roving mismatch negativity (rMMN) is an event-related potential (ERP) index where the deviant tone becomes the new standard with repetitions. Longer repetitions of standard stimuli yield a more positive sensory-adaptation response (Repetition Positivity-RP), elicit a stronger deviance-detection when interrupted (deviant negativity-DN), and the difference waveform between them reflects the strength of prediction-error signalling (mismatch negativity-MMN). METHODS: Twenty-three SZ-AH patients and twenty-three healthy controls (HC) underwent rMMN assessment. Various standard stimuli were repeated in sets of 3, 8 and 33 yielding three components for RP (RP3, RP8, RP33), DN (DN3, DN8, DN33), and MMN (MMN3, MMN8, MMN33). Amplitudes and latencies were compared across groups. Correlation between (a) rMMN amplitudes and latencies, and clinical variables in SZ-AH, and (b) the RP-DN amplitude pair for all three repetition sets (3, 8, 33) were also examined. RESULTS: All DN and MMN33 amplitudes were significantly suppressed in SZ-AH, while RP amplitudes were not. MMN33 latency was significantly longer in SZ-AH than HC. A few amplitudes and latencies significantly correlated with the frequency of AH. HC showed a significant positive correlation between RP-DN amplitude pairs for sets of 3 and 8 but not for 33; SZ-AH group's correlation profile was opposite to this. DISCUSSION: The link between repetition-dependent sensory-adaptation and deviance-detection is perturbed in SZ-AH. The unimpaired RP profile in SZ-AH is due to potential interference of AH with auditory information processing, and does not indicate a preserved short-term plasticity of the echoic memory trace.

Mismatch Negativity in Schizophrenia, Unaffected First-degree Relatives, and Healthy Controls.

BACKGROUND: Mismatch negativity (MMN) amplitude is attenuated in schizophrenia patients (SZ). However, variability in illness course among SZ samples and types of deviant stimuli used in MMN paradigms have contributed to inconsistent findings across studies. Though MMN is suggested to be impaired in schizotypy, the potential link between the two is yet to be systematically examined in unaffected first-degree relatives of schizophrenia patients (FDR). METHODS: The SZ sample had twenty-two drug-naïve or drug-free patients (dSZ) and thirty chronic/medicated patients (cSZ). dSZ and cSZ patients were compared with thirty-six unaffected FDR and thirty-two healthy controls (HC) using a two-tone passive auditory oddball MMN paradigm in an event-related potential experiment with two conditions (presented as separate blocks)-duration-deviant (duration-MMN) and frequency-deviant (frequency-MMN). Schizotypy scores and MMN indices were examined for correlation in FDR. RESULTS: Duration-MMN amplitude was significantly attenuated in both dSZ and cSZ compared to other groups. dSZ and cSZ did not differ on MMN indices. Psychopathology scores and features of illness (illness duration, medication dosage, etc.) did not correlate with MMN indices. In FDR, Schizotypal trait measures did not correlate with MMN indices. CONCLUSIONS: Duration-MMN emerged as a more robust indicator of prediction error signalling deficit in SZ. Frequency-MMN amplitude did not significantly differ among the groups, and MMN indices did not correlate with state and trait measures of schizophrenia-related psychopathology. These findings reiterates that auditory sensory processing captured by MMN is likely reflective of dynamic cognitive functions at the point of testing, and is unlikely to be an expression of enduring symptomatology.

Home-based tDCS for schizophrenia: Exploring the feasibility of a standard operating procedure.

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS), a safe and easy-to-administer noninvasive brain stimulation technique, holds promise in managing auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) in schizophrenia. However, its short-lasting effect often leads to frequent hospital visits for booster/maintenance sessions, posing logistical challenges. Home-based tDCS offers a potential solution that improves accessibility; however, careful standardisation is required to ensure safe and effective application. We present a case of schizophrenia, where add-on home-based tDCS was administered based on a standard operating procedure (SOP) developed to address challenges unique to home administration, like device-related factors, patient and caregiver-related factors, and comprehensive caregiver training protocol. As a part of training, caregivers underwent observational learning, mannequin-based training for electrode placement, and assisted live-patient sessions. Pre and post-training competency assessments were done to ensure proficiency and safe administration. Over ten days, home-based tDCS sustained improvements in AVH without adverse effects. This case report supports the feasibility of home-based tDCS and provides a detailed SOP for implementing a safe and effective home-based tDCS treatment regime. This comprehensive SOP with a training protocol is notedly efficient for enhancing the accessibility and affordability of tDCS treatment protocols.

Rapid improvement of auditory verbal hallucinations in schizophrenia after add-on treatment with transcranial direct-current stimulation.

Treatment of nonresponsive auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia have been reported to improve with transcranial direct-current stimulation. This case description illustrates the use of add-on transcranial direct-current stimulation for rapid amelioration of auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia during the acute phase. Because transcranial direct-current stimulation is safe, largely well tolerated, and relatively inexpensive, this add-on treatment option is worth exploring through further rigorous studies.

Effect of left temporoparietal transcranial direct current stimulation on self-bias effect and retrospective intentional binding paradigm: A randomised, double-blind, controlled study.

BACKGROUND: Self-bias effect is expressed as a preferential selection and accelerated perception of self-related sensory information. Intentional binding (IB) is a related phenomenon where the sensory outcome from a voluntary action and the voluntary action itself are perceived to be closer to each other in time in both predictive (voluntary action predicting sensory consequence) and retrospective (sensory consequence features triggering self-related inference) contexts. Recent evidence indicates that self-related visual stimuli can affect retrospective intentional binding (rIB). We aimed to 1) replicate rIB in the auditory context, and 2) investigate the potential role of left temporoparietal junction (l-TPJ), a crucial node for the self-monitoring process, in self-bias effect and intentional binding effect by manipulating l-TPJ activity with neuromodulation [using High-Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (HD-tDCS)]. We anticipated self-bias and rIB effects to increase with anodal stimulation of l-TPJ in comparison to cathodal-stimulation of l-TPJ. METHODS: Fourteen, right-handed, healthy participants performed sound-label matching (matching tones to self-and-other labels) and rIB (estimating time interval between a button press and a self/other labelled tone) tasks. Each participant underwent both anodal and cathodal stimulation of l-TPJ in separate sessions (at least 72 h apart). Assignment of HD-tDCS type was random and counter-balanced across participants. Behavioural data was collected at three time points: once at baseline (no-stimulation), and twice after stimulation with HD-tDCS. RESULTS: Strong self-bias effect was observed across all experimental conditions. Neuromodulation of l-TPJ affected processing of other-labelled tone in the sound-label matching task. rIB was noted in baseline and anodal-HD-tDCS conditions where participants exhibited stronger binding for self-associated stimuli compared to other-associated stimuli. CONCLUSION: l-TPJ may potentially play a critical role in self-other distinction. This may have possible implications for disorders of self-disturbances like psychosis.

Superior temporal gyrus functional connectivity predicts transcranial direct current stimulation response in Schizophrenia: A machine learning study.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a promising adjuvant treatment for persistent auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) in Schizophrenia (SZ). Nonetheless, there is considerable inter-patient variability in the treatment response of AVH to tDCS in SZ. Machine-learned models have the potential to predict clinical response to tDCS in SZ. This study aims to examine the feasibility of identifying SZ patients with persistent AVH (SZ-AVH) who will respond to tDCS based on resting-state functional connectivity (rs-FC). Thirty-four SZ-AVH patients underwent resting-state functional MRI at baseline followed by add-on, twice-daily, 20-min sessions with tDCS (conventional/high-definition) for 5 days. A machine learning model was developed to identify tDCS treatment responders based on the rs-FC pattern, using the left superior temporal gyrus (LSTG) as the seed region. Functional connectivity between LSTG and brain regions involved in auditory and sensorimotor processing emerged as the important predictors of the tDCS treatment response. L1-regularized logistic regression model had an overall accuracy of 72.5% in classifying responders vs. non-responders. This model outperformed the state-of-the-art convolutional neural networks (CNN) model-both without (59.41%) and with pre-training (68.82%). It also outperformed the L1-logistic regression model trained with baseline demographic features and clinical scores of SZ patients. This study reports the first evidence that rs-fMRI-derived brain connectivity pattern can predict the clinical response of persistent AVH to add-on tDCS in SZ patients with 72.5% accuracy.

Comparison of electric field modeling pipelines for transcranial direct current stimulation.

OBJECTIVES: Electric field modeling utilizes structural brain magnetic resonance images (MRI) to model the electric field induced by non-invasive transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in a given individual. Electric field modeling is being integrated with clinical outcomes to improve understanding of inter-individual variability in tDCS effects and to optimize tDCS parameters, thereby enhancing the predictability of clinical effects. The successful integration of modeling in clinical use will primarily be driven by choice of tools and procedures implemented in computational modeling. Thus, the electric field predictions from different modeling pipelines need to be investigated to ensure the validity and reproducibility of tDCS modeling results across clinical or translational studies. METHODS: We used T1w structural MRI from 32 healthy volunteer subjects and modeled the electric field distribution for a fronto-temporal tDCS montage. For five different computational modeling pipelines, we quantitatively compared brain tissue segmentation and electric field predicted in whole-brain, brain tissues and target brain regions between the modeling pipelines. RESULTS: Our comparisons at various levels did not reveal any systematic trend with regards to similarity or dissimilarity of electric field predicted in brain tissues and target brain regions. The inconsistent trends in the predicted electric field indicate variation in the procedures, routines and algorithms used within and across the modeling pipelines. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that studies integrating electric field modeling and clinical outcomes of tDCS will highly depend upon the choice of the modeling pipelines and procedures. We propose that using these pipelines for further research and clinical applications should be subject to careful consideration, and indicate general recommendations.

Antisaccade task performance in obsessive-compulsive disorder and its clinical correlates.

OBJECTIVE: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is characterized by abnormalities in the cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) circuitry of the brain. Antisaccade eye movement tasks measure aspects of the voluntary control of behaviour that are sensitive to CSTC circuitry dysfunction. METHOD: In this study, we examined antisaccade eye movement parameters of OCD patients in comparison with healthy controls (HC). In addition, we also examined the relationship between the antisaccade eye movement parameters and the severity of OCD. Antisaccade performance among right handed OCD patients (N = 65) was compared to matched right handed HC (N = 57). Eye tracking data during the task performance were collected using an Eye-Link eye-tracker at 1000-Hz sampling rate. OCD symptom severity was evaluated using Yale-Brown obsessive compulsive scale. RESULTS: The antisaccade error percentage was significantly greater in OCD patients than HC (p < 0.001). In addition, OCD patients had less accurate final eye position compared to HC (p < 0.001). There were no significant correlation between antisaccade parameters and OCD severity measures. CONCLUSION: Deficient performance in antisaccade task supports CSTC abnormality in OCD and this appears to be independent of the illness severity. Examining this in remitted participants with OCD and in unaffected first degree relatives could help ascertaining their endophenotype validity.

Impact of NRG1 HapICE gene variants on digit ratio and dermatoglyphic measures in schizophrenia.

Multiple lines of evidence have suggested a potential role of Neuregulin-1 (NRG1) in the neurodevelopmental pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Interaction between genetic risk variants present within NRG1 locus and non-specific gestational putative insults can significantly impair crucial processes of brain development. Such genetic effects can be analyzed through the assessment of digit ratio and dermatoglyphic patterns. We examined the role of two well-replicated polymorphisms of NRG1 (SNP8NRG221533 and SNP8NRG243177) on schizophrenia risk and its probable impact on the digit ratio and dermatoglyphic measures in patients (N = 221) and healthy controls (N = 200). In schizophrenia patients, but not in healthy controls, a significant association between NRG1 SNP8NRG221533 C/C genotype with lower left 2D:4D ratio, as well as with higher FA_TbcRC and DA_TbcRC. The substantial effect of SNP8NRG221533 on both digit ratio and dermatoglyphic measures suggest a potential role for NRG1 gene variants on neurodevelopmental pathogenesis of schizophrenia.

Working memory performance with online-tDCS in schizophrenia: A randomized, double-blinded, sham-controlled, partial cross-over proof-of-concept study.

Combining cognitive retraining with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been hypothesized to improve cognitive deficits in schizophrenia. The effect of combining a neuropsychological/psychophysiological task with tDCS, called "online-tDCS" for cognitive enhancement in schizophrenia is not rigorously assessed. In this proof-of-concept study, we aimed at evaluating the effect of a single session online-tDCS on working memory(WM) and its transferability to other cognitive functions. Numerical n-back(NNB), digit symbol substitution test(DSST), emotional matching and labelling test(E-MALT), and anti-saccade eye movement beeforefore and after 20 min tDCS (anode: left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and cathode: left temporoparietal junction) applied during Sternberg's task(WM-task) were assessed. Twenty-three schizophrenia patients with cognitive deficits were randomized to receive either online-tDCS or offline-tDCS (without simultaneous Sternberg's task) sessions. All patients received one session each of active and sham tDCS in a randomized counterbalanced double-blind cross-over design. RMANOVA revealed a significant interaction effect between tDCS type (Online/Offline) x activeness (active/sham) of tDCS; the reaction time during 2-back performance in the NNB test improved in online-sham (F = 5.23, p < 0.038) but not online-active tDCS session. No significant changes were noted in DSST, E-MALT, and anti-saccade performance. Improved performance after online-sham tDCS suggests that performing the Sternberg's task enhanced 2-back performance. The counterintuitive observation was noted with respect to the non-enhancement of WM performance on combining the task to tDCS. Aberrant plasticity in schizophrenia might attain a transitional ceiling that would have resulted in restriction of enhancement on combining the two plasticity modulators. The transferability of improvement to other cognitive domains could not be ascertained.

Tolerance of transcranial direct current stimulation in psychiatric disorders: An analysis of 2000+ sessions.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a non-invasive, neuromodulatory technique, is being increasingly applied to several psychiatric disorders. In this study, we describe the side-effect profile of repeated tDCS sessions (N = 2005) that were administered to 171 patients (156 adults and 15 adolescents) with different psychiatric disorders [schizophrenia [N = 109], obsessive-compulsive disorder [N = 28], alcohol dependence syndrome [N = 13], mild cognitive impairment [N = 10], depression [N = 6], dementia [N = 2] and other disorders [N = 3]]. tDCS was administered at a constant current strength of 2 mA with additional ramp-up and ramp-down phase of 20 s each at the beginning and end of the session, respectively. Other tDCS protocol parameters were: schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder: 5-days of twice-daily 20-min sessions with an inter-session interval of 3-h; Mild cognitive impairment/dementia and alcohol dependence syndrome: at least 5-days of once-daily 20-min session; Depression: 10-days of once-daily 30 min session. At the end of each tDCS session, any adverse event observed by the administrator and/or reported by the patient was systematically assessed using a comprehensive questionnaire. The commonly reported adverse events during tDCS included burning sensations (16.2%), skin redness (12.3%), scalp pain (10.1%), itching (6.7%), and tingling (6.3%). Most of the adverse events were noted to be mild, transient and well-tolerated. In summary, our observations suggest that tDCS is a safe mode for therapeutic non-invasive neuromodulation in psychiatric disorders in adults as well as the adolescent population.

Mapping Cortical and Subcortical Asymmetry in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Findings From the ENIGMA Consortium.

BACKGROUND: Lateralized dysfunction has been suggested in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, it is currently unclear whether OCD is characterized by abnormal patterns of brain structural asymmetry. Here we carried out what is by far the largest study of brain structural asymmetry in OCD. METHODS: We studied a collection of 16 pediatric datasets (501 patients with OCD and 439 healthy control subjects), as well as 30 adult datasets (1777 patients and 1654 control subjects) from the OCD Working Group within the ENIGMA (Enhancing Neuro Imaging Genetics through Meta Analysis) Consortium. Asymmetries of the volumes of subcortical structures, and of measures of regional cortical thickness and surface areas, were assessed based on T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging scans, using harmonized image analysis and quality control protocols. We investigated possible alterations of brain asymmetry in patients with OCD. We also explored potential associations of asymmetry with specific aspects of the disorder and medication status. RESULTS: In the pediatric datasets, the largest case-control differences were observed for volume asymmetry of the thalamus (more leftward; Cohen's d = 0.19) and the pallidum (less leftward; d = -0.21). Additional analyses suggested putative links between these asymmetry patterns and medication status, OCD severity, or anxiety and depression comorbidities. No significant case-control differences were found in the adult datasets. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest subtle changes of the average asymmetry of subcortical structures in pediatric OCD, which are not detectable in adults with the disorder. These findings may reflect altered neurodevelopmental processes in OCD.