Diffusion Tensor Imaging of Rat Model of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Michael Dagan¹, Oded Klavir², Lior Brimberg², Daphna Joel², Yaniv Assaf¹

The localization of cognitive domains can be achieved by functional imaging modalities. It was recently shown that voxel-wise correlation between diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) indices and various behavioral measures allows brain localization of cognitive performance. In the present study we localized the behavioral manifestation of the signal attenuation (SA) rat model of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) using DTI. It was found the FA and ADC reduces in many areas of the limbic system (mainly the hippocampus) as well as in the ventral striatum. These results suggest the behavior-DTI correlation may be used for characterization of plasticity induced morphological tissue changes.