Regional white matter volume abnormalities in first-episode somatization disorder

Background: Alterations of white matter integrity have been implicated in patients with somatization disorder (SD). However, changes of white matter volume (WMV) remain unclear. This study is designed to examine regional WMV in patients with SD and to investigate the potential relationships between WMV abnormalities and personality traits, cognitive function, and symptom severity. Methods: We recruited 25 first-episode, drug-naive patients with SD and 28 sex-, age-, and education-matched healthy controls for the study. Personality traits, cognitive function, and symptom severity were assessed for all participants. Data were analyzed with the computational anatomy toolbox (CAT12) methods. Results: Patients with SD exhibited a significantly increased WMV in the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) (t = 4.4009) and a significantly decreased WMV in the left inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF) (t = - 3.4292) relative to healthy controls. No correlation was found between abnormal WMV and clinical/cognitive variables in the patients. Conclusions: Our findings suggest the presence of significant regional WMV abnormalities in first-episode, drug-naive patients with SD, which might improve understanding the pathophysiology of SD.