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Cortical thickness abnormalities in trichotillomania: international multi-site analysis

Published version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Chamberlain, SR 
Harries, M 
Redden, SA 
Keuthen, NJ 
Stein, DJ 

Abstract

Trichotillomania is a prevalent but often hidden psychiatric condition, characterized by repetitive hair pulling. The aim of this study was to confirm or refute structural brain abnormalities in trichotillomania by pooling all available global data. De-identified MRI scans were pooled by contacting authors of previous studies. Cortical thickness and sub-cortical volumes were compared between patients and controls. Patients (n = 76) and controls (n = 41) were well-matched in terms of demographic characteristics. Trichotillomania patients showed excess cortical thickness in a cluster maximal at right inferior frontal gyrus, unrelated to symptom severity. No significant sub-cortical volume differences were detected in the regions of interest. Morphometric changes in the right inferior frontal gyrus appear to play a central role in the pathophysiology of trichotillomania, and to be trait in nature. The findings are distinct from other impulsive-compulsive disorders (OCD, ADHD, gambling disorder), which have typically been associated with reduced, rather than increased, cortical thickness. Future work should examine sub-cortical and cerebellar morphology using analytic approaches designed for this purpose, and should also characterize grey matter densities/volumes.

Description

Keywords

Trichotillomania, Impulse, Impulsivity, Compulsivity, MRI, Neuroimaging

Journal Title

Brain Imaging and Behavior

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

1931-7557
1931-7565

Volume Title

Publisher

Springer Nature
Sponsorship
Wellcome Trust (110049/Z/15/Z)
This work was funded by a Wellcome Trust Clinical Fellowship to Dr. Chamberlain (UK; Reference 110,049/Z/15/Z) and by a grant from the Trichotillomania Learning Center to Dr. Grant. Drs. Lochner and Stein were funded by the South African Medical Research Council. Dr. Keuthen was funded by an anonymous benefactor for the collection of her imaging data.