Volumes of the caudate nuclei in women with somatization disorder and healthy women

Very little is known about the pathophysiology of somatization disorder. This study was designed to analyze the volumes of some brain structures possibly involved in somatization based on the observation of glucose metabolism of the brain in these patients. We studied 10 female patients with a diagnosis of somatization disorder or undifferentiated somatoform disorder with no comorbid current DSM-IV Axis I disorder and compared them to 16 healthy female volunteers using brain MRI (1.5T instrument). The patients had bilateral enlargement of caudate nuclei volumes compared with healthy volunteers. These volume differences in the caudate nuclei could be associated with the pathophysiology of somatization. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.