Multimodal imaging of compulsivity across neurodevelopmental disorders: A longitudinal investigation
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2019-07-01
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en
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Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) are neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by compulsivity. Deficits in cognitive control have been associated with compulsivity and fronto-striatal alterations, which seem to be regulated by glutamate. In the current study we will link these findings together by investigating fronto-striatal neurochemical and functional alterations during inhibitory control in association with the cross-disorder trait compulsivity.
Methods: Participants were part of the European TACTICS consortium and included adolescents with ASD, OCD and controls aged 8-17. Continuous measures of compulsivity and impulsivity were used to investigate the association with fronto-striatal glutamate (1H-MRS), and functional activity (fMRI) during inhibitory control. These analyses were performed using linear mixed effects models.
Results: We found that ACC glutamate levels decreased significantly more over time in ASD compared to OCD and controls. In the striatum, a decrease in striatal glutamate over time across all groups was found. During successful inhibitory control, increased glutamate in the striatum was associated with decreased ACC BOLD, independent of diagnosis. Additionally, also during successful inhibitory control, increased ACC glutamate was associated with increased striatal BOLD, but in the OCD group only.
Conclusions: Our findings suggest that glutamate in ACC and striatum changes with development and may affect BOLD patterns during inhibitory control differently in ASD and OCD. This suggests that glutamate may play a modulatory role in compulsivity.
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Faculteit der Sociale Wetenschappen