• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.130-137
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• 2014

Objectives : Obsessive-compulsive(OC) symptoms have yet to be directly studied in neurodegenerative conditions involving behavioral changes. To examine regional abnormalities in the brains of dementia patients with OC symptoms, we assessed the gray matter density using voxel-based morphometry(VBM). Methods : We performed brain magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) with VBM analysis in 106 dementia patients with OC behaviors. In this study, OC behaviors were investigated in patients with neurodegenerative disease using the modified Manchester Behavior Questionnaire. Results : The OC behavior scores were correlated with structural brain volume using VBM. The total OC symptom score correlated negatively with the volume of both putamens, the right middle orbitofrontal gyrus, both anterior cingulate cortices, and the left insula(p<0.001, uncorrected). No gray matter reductions were associated specifically with the OC symptom sub-categories. Conclusions : Our results suggest that abnormalities in these brain regions may play an important role in the pathophysiology of OCD in neurodegenerative disease. This is the first lesion study to investigate the neural basis of OCD behaviors in neurodegenerative disease.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Medical Physics Conference
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• 2006.08a
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• pp.146-146
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• 2006

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Medical Physics Conference
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• 2006.08a
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• pp.149-149
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• 2006

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.10-18
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• 2015

Background and Purpose: The association between the low emotional regulation and the brain structural change of major depressive disorder (MDD) has been proposed, but the voxel-based morphometry (VBM) studies on female MDD are rare. The purpose of the present study was to show the regional volume changes of gray matter (GM) in female patients with MDD by optimized VBM. Methods: To control subjects homogeneity, twenty female MDD patients and age, sex matched 21 normal controls were included for the VBM analysis. To identify the change of regional gray matter volume (GMV), the optimized VBM was performed with T1 MRIs. The amounts of gray/white matter and intracranial cavity volumes (ICV) were measured. The analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and partial correlation analyses covariate with age and ICV were applied for VBM. Results: The age and ICV distributions were similar between the two groups. In the ANCOVA, the total GMV of MDD was smaller than that of normal controls. In the VBM, regional GMV was relatively decreased in the limbic system (amygdalae, ambient gyri, hippocampi heads, subiculum, posterior parahippocampal gyri, pulvinar nuclei, dorsal posterior cingulate gyri, and left pregenual cingulate gyrus). The lingual gyri, short insular gyri, right fusiform gyrus, and right inferior frontal gyrus were also showed decreased regional GMV. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that the female MDD is mainly associated with the structural deficits of the limbic system and limbic system related cortices, which were known to the center of emotions.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Medical Physics Conference
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• 2004.11a
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• pp.91-95
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• 2004

Several MRI studies have reported reductions in temporal lobe volumes in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Measures have been usually obtained with regions-of-interest (ROI) drawn manually on selected medial and lateral portions of the temporal lobes, with variable choices of anatomical borders across different studies. We used the automated voxel-based morphometry (VBM) approach to investigate gray matter abnormalities over the entire extension of the temporal lobe in 10AD patients (MM5E 22)and 22 healthy controls. Foci of significantly reduced gray matter volume in AD patients were detected in both medial and lateral temporal regions, most significantly in the right and left posterior parahippocarmpal gyri. At a more flexible statistical threshold (P<0.01, uncorrected for multiple comparisons), circumscribed foci of significant gray matter reduction were also detected in the right amygdala/enthorinal cortex, the anterior and posterior borders of the superior temporal gyrus bilaterally, and the anterior portion of the left middle temporal gyrus. These VBM results confirm previous findings of temporal lobe atrophic changes in AD, and suggest that these abnormalities may be confined to specific sites within that lobe, rather than showing a widespread distribution.

• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.13-24
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• 2008

Functional neuroimaging, especially positron emission tomography (PET) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), is the main tool that allows the unveiling of the neurovascular events during a migraine attack. In migraine with aura, functional neuroimaging has contributed greatly to the understanding of the fundamental pathophysiology of the visual aura, whereas in migraine without aura, the PET findings of brainstem activation suggest a pivotal role of brainstem in the generation of migraine headache. In addition, voxel-based morphometry (VBM) method has provided an insight into the morphometric changes of the brain, which might be considered as a consequence of repeated migraine attacks. In this article, I will briefly discuss the main neuroimaging findings pertaining to the pathophysiology of migraine.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.20-27
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• 2015

Objectives It is increasingly thought that the human cerebellum plays an important role in emotion and cognition. Although recent evidence suggests that the cerebellum may also be implicated in fear learning, only a limited number of studies have investigated the cerebellar abnormalities in panic disorder. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cerebellar gray matter deficits and their clinical correlations among patients with panic disorder. Methods Using a voxel-based morphometry approach with a high-resolution spatially unbiased infratentorial template, regional cerebellar gray matter density was compared between 23 patients with panic disorder and 33 healthy individuals. Results The gray matter density in the right posterior-superior (lobule Crus I) and left posterior-inferior (lobules Crus II, VIIb, VIIIa) cerebellum was significantly reduced in the panic disorder group compared to healthy individuals (p < 0.05, false discovery rate corrected, extent threshold = 100 voxels). Additionally, the gray matter reduction in the left posterior-inferior cerebellum (lobule VIIIa) was significantly associated with greater panic symptom severity (r = -0.55, p = 0.007). Conclusions Our findings suggest that the gray matter deficits in the posterior cerebellum may be involved in the pathogenesis of panic disorder. Further studies are needed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the cerebro-cerebellar network in panic disorder.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.190-197
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• 2009

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to examine structural abnormalities of brain in patients with pathological gambling(PG) using voxel-based morphometry. Methods : We compared gray matter(GM) volumes between 10 patients with PG and 14 age- and IQ-matched healthy controls and examined the relationship of GM volumes with clinical variables in patients with PG. Results : We found significant increase of GM volume in the superior, middle, and inferior frontal gyri, the midbrain, the middle temporal gyrus, the precuneus, and the fusiform gyrus of patients with PG. A significant decrease of GM volume was observed in the parahippocampal gyrus and the lingual gyrus of the patient group. In addition, GM volumes in some of these regions were positively associated with South Oaks Gambling Screen score and negatively with age of onset in patients with PG. Conclusion : Current findings indicate that structural abnormalities in the fronto-temporal cortex, the midbrain, and the precuneus might be involved in the pathophysiology of PG, and contribute to some of the behavioral changes observed in patients with PG.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.63-73
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• 2009

Purpose : To investigate the effects of various intracranial volume (ICV) measurement methods on the sensitivity of hippocampal volumetry and modulated voxel-based morphometry (mVBM) in female patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Materials and Methods : T1 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data for 41 female subjects (21 MDD patients, 20 normal subjects) were analyzed. Hippocampal volumes were measured manually, and ICV was measured manually and automatically using the FreeSurfer package. Gray and white matter volumes were measured separately. Results : Manual ICV normalization provided the greatest sensitivity in hippocampal volumetry and mVBM, followed by FreeSurfer ICV, GWMV, and GMV. Manual and FreeSurfer ICVs were similar in normal subjects (p = 0.696), but distinct in MDD patients (p = 0.000002). Manual ICV-corrected total gray matter volume (p = 0.0015) and Manual ICV-corrected bilateral hippocampal volumes (right, p = 0.014; left, p = 0.004) were decreased significantly in MDD patients, but the differences of hippocampal volumes corrected by FreeSurfer ICV, GWMV, or GMV were not significant between two groups (p > 0.05). Only manual ICV-corrected mVBM analysis was significant after correction for multiple comparisons. Conclusion : The method of ICV measurement greatly affects the sensitivity of hippocampal volumetry and mVBM. Manual ICV normalization showed the ability to detect differences between women with and without MDD for both methods.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.65-74
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• 2019

Extant research has proposed that the Object-Spatial-Verbal cognitive style can elucidate individual differences in the preference for modality-specific information. However, no studies have yet ascertained whether this type of information processing evinces structural correlations in the brain. Therefore, the current study used voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analyses to investigate individual differences in gray matter volumes based on the Object-Spatial-Verbal cognitive style. For this purpose, ninety healthy young adults were recruited to participate in the study. They were administered the Korean version of the Object-Spatial-Verbal cognitive style questionnaire, and their anatomical brain images were scanned. The VBM results demonstrated that the participants' verbal scores were positively correlated with regional gray matter volumes (rGMVs) in the right superior temporal sulcus/superior temporal gyrus, the bilateral parahippocampal gyrus/fusiform gyrus, and the left inferior temporal gyrus. In addition, the rGMVs in these regions were negatively correlated with the relative spatial preference scores obtained by individual participants. The findings of the investigation provide anatomical evidence that the verbal cognitive style could be decidedly relevant to higher-level language processing, but not to basic language processing.