Abstract
Previous EEG source analysis in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) revealed an increased low-frequency activity in mediofrontal cortex (Kopoivová et al., 2011). The aim of this study was to assess if the abnormity is OCD specific or if it is common to anxiety disorder.
Using standardized low-resolution electromagnetic tomography (sLORETA) we compared EEG sources in 17 patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), 17 patients with panic disorder (PD), 17 patients with OCD, and 53 healthy controls. Each patient group consisted of 6 drug-free and 11 SSRIs medicated participants.
Resting-state EEG was recorded with eyes-closed from 19 scalp locations. Current density was computed for 8 frequency bands using sLORETA.
The groups were compared by means of randomization-permutation statistic. Compared to GAD and PD we found in OCD more delta activity in anterior- and midcingulate and less alpha (in the case of PD also beta) activity especially in the right uncus and parahippocampal gyrus.
Compared to controls, OCD showed more delta activity in anterior- and midcingulate whereas PD showed more alpha1 mainly in the right uncus and parahipocampal gyrus. GAD did nor differ from healthy controls but their EEG pattern was similar to those in PD.
The results suggest a distinct neurobiological basis of OCD on one hand and PD and GAD on the other