New brain imaging techniques may provide evidence for a biological basis
for severe psychiatric disorders. The authors used quantitative X- ray
computed tomography (CT) to analyze the brain volume of 10 male patients
with severe primary obsessive-compulsive disorder and 10 healthy male
control subjects. Caudate nucleus volume in the patients with
obsessive-compulsive disorder was significantly less than that of control
subjects, but lenticular nuclei, third ventricle, and lateral ventricle
volumes did not differ between these two groups, and no abnormal asymmetry
of bilateral structures was detected. These findings support other evidence
of involvement of the caudate nucleus in obsessive-compulsive disorder.Abstract Teaser