Abstract
Background
Individuals with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) misperceive that they have prominent
defects in their appearance, resulting in preoccupations, time-consuming rituals,
and distress. Previous neuroimaging studies have found abnormal activation patterns
in the extrastriate visual cortex, which may underlie experiences of distorted perception
of appearance. Correspondingly, we investigated gray matter volumes in individuals
with BDD in the early extrastriate visual cortex using cytoarchitectonically defined
maps that were previously derived from postmortem brains.
Methods
We analyzed T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging data from 133 unmedicated male
and female participants (BDD: n = 65; healthy control subjects: n = 68). We used cytoarchitectonically defined probability maps for the early extrastriate
cortex, consisting of areas corresponding to V2, V3d, V3v/VP, V3a, and V4v. Gray matter
volumes were compared between groups, supplemented by testing associations with clinical
symptoms.
Results
The BDD group exhibited significantly larger gray matter volumes in the left and right
early extrastriate cortex. Region-specific follow-up analyses revealed multiple subregions
showing larger volumes in BDD, significant in the left V4v. There were no significant
associations after corrections for multiple comparisons between gray matter volumes
in early extrastriate cortex and BDD symptoms, comorbid symptoms, or duration of illness.
Conclusions
Greater volumes of the early extrastriate visual cortex were evident in those with
BDD, which aligns with outcomes of prior studies revealing BDD-specific functional
abnormalities in these regions. Enlarged volumes of the extrastriate cortex in BDD
might manifest during neurodevelopment, which could predispose individuals to aberrant
visual perception and contribute to the core phenotype of distortion of perception
for appearance.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: October 21, 2021
Accepted:
October 5,
2021
Received in revised form:
October 5,
2021
Received:
July 21,
2021
Publication stage
In Press Journal Pre-ProofIdentification
Copyright
© 2021 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
