Gray Matter Alterations in Pediatric Schizophrenia and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Voxel-Based Morphometry Studies.

Jingran Liu,Fang Wen,Fang Wang,Duo Wang,Yanlin Li,Chunmei Yan,Yonghua Cui,Ying Li,Jishui Zhang,Jiahui Chu,Junjuan Yan,Liping Yu

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2022.785547

Abstract

ObjectiveThe aim of this study is comparing gray matter alterations in SCZ pediatric patients with those suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) based on a systematic review and an activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analysis.MethodsA systematic literature search was performed in PubMed, Elsevier, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). A systematic review and an ALE meta-analysis were performed to quantitatively examine brain gray matter alterations.ResultsChildren and adolescents with schizophrenia had decreased gray matter volume (GMV) mainly in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), temporal cortex (such as the middle temporal gyrus and transverse temporal gyrus), and insula, while children and adolescents with OCD mainly had increased GMV in the PFC and the striatum (including the lentiform nucleus and caudate nucleus), and decreased GMV in the parietal cortex.ConclusionsOur results suggest that gray matter abnormalities in the PFC may indicate homogeneity between the two diseases. In children and adolescents, structural alterations in schizophrenia mainly involve the fronto-temporal and cortico-insula circuits, whereas those in OCD mainly involve the prefrontal-parietal and the prefrontal-striatal circuits.

Highlights

Schizophrenia (SCZ), a severe psychiatric disorder characterized by symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thinking, amotivation, and cognitive dysfunction, has an onset in childhood and adolescence [1]
It seems that children and adolescents with schizophrenia had decreased gray matter volume (GMV), mainly in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), temporal cortex and insula, while children and adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) mainly had increased GMV in the PFC and the striatum, but decreased GMV in the parietal cortex
Rather than a decrease, in GMV of the PFC in children and adolescents with OCD, in contrast to that reported in a previous meta-analysis [20]

Summary

Introduction

Schizophrenia (SCZ), a severe psychiatric disorder characterized by symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thinking, amotivation, and cognitive dysfunction, has an onset in childhood and adolescence [1]. Another serious psychiatric disorder that often onsets in childhood and adolescence is obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), which is characterized by intrusive thoughts and repetitive and ritualistic behaviors [2]. OCD onset are associated with higher rates of subsequently diagnosed schizophrenia [4, 5]. Some studies have found that SCZ and OCD share some demographic and clinical characteristics [6]. These findings suggest that SCZ and OCD share common neuropathology. Many studies have compared SCZ and OCD to investigate their multidimensional heterogeneity

Results

Discussion

Conclusion