Default mode network subsystem alterations in obsessive-compulsive disorder

Abstract

Background: Although neurobiological models of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) traditionally emphasise the central role of corticostriatal brain regions, studies of default mode network integrity have garnered increasing interest, but have produced conflicting results. Aims: To resolve these discrepant findings by examining the integrity of default mode network subsystems in OCD. Method: Comparison of seed-based resting-state functional connectivity of 11 default mode network components between 46 patients with OCD and 46 controls using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Results: Significantly reduced connectivity within the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex self subsystem was identified in the OCD group, and remained significant after controlling for medication status and life-time history of affective disorders. Further, greater connectivity between the self subsystem and salience and attention networks was observed. Conclusions: Results indicate that people with OCD show abnormalities in a neural system previously associated with self-referential processing in healthy individuals, and suggest the need for examination of dynamic interactions between this default mode network subsystem and other large-scale networks in this disorder.