Structural neuroimaging of somatoform disorders: A systematic review

Although there has been an increment in neuroimaging research in somatoform disorders (SD), to date little is known about the neural correlates of these diseases. Therefore, in this systematic, review we aimed at summarizing the existing evidence of structural brain alterations in SD as per DSM-IV and DSM-5 criteria. Three electronic databases (Scopus, PubMed and Web of Science) were searched. Only case-control studies using structural neuroimaging were included. Forty-five out of 369 articles fulfilled inclusion criteria and were reviewed. Compared to controls, subjects with SD showed morphological alterations encompassing motor, limbic and somatosensory circuits. Although far from being conclusive, the results suggested that SD are characterized by selective alterations of large-scale brain networks implicated in cognitive control, emotion regulation and processing, stress and somatic-visceral perception. This review highlights the need for further multimodal neuroimaging studies with longitudinal designs, in larger and better-characterized samples, to elucidate the temporal and causal relationship between neuroanatomical changes and SD, which is paramount for informing tailored treatments.

Automated summary

This systematic review aimed at summarizing the existing evidence of structural brain alterations in somatoform disorders (SD) based on DSM-IV and DSM-5 criteria. The results showed that compared to controls, subjects with SD exhibited morphological alterations in motor, limbic, and somatosensory circuits, suggesting selective changes in large-scale brain networks associated with cognitive control, emotion regulation, stress, and somatic-visceral perception. Further multimodal neuroimaging studies with longitudinal designs in larger and better-characterized samples are needed to elucidate the temporal and causal relationship between neuroanatomical changes and SD for informing tailored treatments.