Orbito-frontal cortex and thalamus volumes in the patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder before and after cognitive behavioral therapy.

Background The effect of a variety of treatment modalities including psychopharmacological and cognitive behavioral therapy on the brain volumes and neurochemicals have not been investigated enough in the patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Therefore, in the present study, we aimed to investigate the effect of cognitive behavioral therapy on the volumes of the orbito-frontal cortex and thalamus regions which seem to be abnormal in the patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. We hypothesized that there would be change in the volumes of the orbito-frontal cortex and thalamus. Methods Twelve patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder and same number of healthy controls were included into the study. At the beginning of the study, the volumes of the orbito-frontal cortex and thalamus were compared by using magnetic resonance imaging. In addition, volumes of these regions were measured before and after the cognitive behavioral therapy treatment in the patient group. Results The patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder had greater left and right thalamus volumes and smaller left and right orbito-frontal cortex volumes compared to those of healthy control subjects at the beginning of the study. When we compared baseline volumes of the patients with posttreatment ones, we detected that thalamus volumes significantly decreased throughout the period for both sides and that the orbito-frontal cortex volumes significantly increased throughout the period for only left side. Conclusions In summary, we found that cognitive behavioral therapy might volumetrically affect the key brain regions involved in the neuroanatomy of obsessive-compulsive disorder. However, future studies with larger sample are required.

Hippocampus and amygdala volumes in patients with vaginismus.

AIM: To compare hippocampus and amygdala volumes of patients with vaginismus with those of healthy control subjects. METHODS: Magnetic resonance imaging was performed on ten patients with vaginismus and ten control subjects matched for age and gender. Volumes of the hippocampus and amygdala were blindly measured. RESULTS: We found that the mean right amygdala volume of patients with vaginismus were smaller than that of the healthy controls. With regard to hippocampus volumes, the mean left and right hippocampus volumes were smaller than those of the healthy controls. CONCLUSION: Our present findings suggest that there have been hippocampus and amygdala structural abnormalities in patients with vaginismus. These changes provide the notion that vaginismus may be a fear-related condition.

A Computer-Aided Diagnosis System for Measuring Carotid Artery Intima-Media Thickness (IMT) Using Quaternion Vectors.

This study aims investigating adjustable distant fuzzy c-means segmentation on carotid Doppler images, as well as quaternion-based convolution filters and saliency mapping procedures. We developed imaging software that will simplify the measurement of carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) on saliency mapping images. Additionally, specialists evaluated the present images and compared them with saliency mapping images. In the present research, we conducted imaging studies of 25 carotid Doppler images obtained by the Department of Cardiology at Firat University. After implementing fuzzy c-means segmentation and quaternion-based convolution on all Doppler images, we obtained a model that can be analyzed easily by the doctors using a bottom-up saliency model. These methods were applied to 25 carotid Doppler images and then interpreted by specialists. In the present study, we used color-filtering methods to obtain carotid color images. Saliency mapping was performed on the obtained images, and the carotid artery IMT was detected and interpreted on the obtained images from both methods and the raw images are shown in Results. Also these results were investigated by using Mean Square Error (MSE) for the raw IMT images and the method which gives the best performance is the Quaternion Based Saliency Mapping (QBSM). 0,0014 and 0,000191 mm(2) MSEs were obtained for artery lumen diameters and plaque diameters in carotid arteries respectively. We found that computer-based image processing methods used on carotid Doppler could aid doctors' in their decision-making process. We developed software that could ease the process of measuring carotid IMT for cardiologists and help them to evaluate their findings.

Pituitary volumes are changed in patients with conversion disorder.

Our study group previously measured pituitary volumes and found a relationship between somatoform disoders and pituitary volumes. Therefore, in conversion disorder, another somatoform disorder, we hypothesized that pituitary gland volumes would be reduced. Twenty female patients and healthy controls were recruited to the present investigation. The volumes of the pituitary gland were determined by using a 1.5 Tesla magnetic resonance scanner. We found that the pituitary gland volumes of the patients with conversion disorder were significantly smaller than those of healthy control subjects. In the patients with conversion disorder but not in the healthy control group, a significant negative correlation between the duration of illness and pituitary gland volume was determined. In summary, in the present study, we suggest that the patients with conversion disorder have smaller pituitary volumes compared to those of healthy control subjects. Further studies should confirm our data and ascertain whether volumetric alterations determined in the patients with conversion disorder can be changed with treatment or if they change over time.