• Dave J Hayes, Nir Lipsman, David Q Chen, D Blake Woodside, Karen D Davis, Andres M Lozano, and Mojgan Hodaie.
• Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Toronto Western Research Institute, Division of Brain, Imaging and Behaviour - Systems Neuroscience, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario M5T 2S8, Canada; Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, Toronto Western Hospital, 399 Bathurst Street, Toronto, Ontario M5T 2S8, Canada.
• Brain Stimul. 2015 Jul 1; 8 (4): 758-68.

BackgroundAnorexia nervosa is characterized by extreme low body weight and alterations in affective processing. The subcallosal cingulate regulates affect through wide-spread white matter connections and is implicated in the pathophysiology of anorexia nervosa.ObjectivesWe examined whether those with treatment refractory anorexia nervosa undergoing deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subcallosal white matter (SCC) show: (1) altered anatomical SCC connectivity compared to healthy controls, (2) white matter microstructural changes, and (3) microstructural changes associated with clinically-measured affect.MethodsDiffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) and deterministic multi-tensor tractography were used to compare anatomical connectivity and microstructure in SCC-associated white matter tracts. Eight women with treatment-refractory anorexia nervosa were compared to 8 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Anorexia nervosa patients also completed affect-related clinical assessments presurgically and 12 months post-surgery.Results(1) Higher (e.g., left parieto-occipital cortices) and lower (e.g., thalamus) connectivity in those with anorexia nervosa compared to controls. (2) Decreases in fractional anisotropy, and alterations in axial and radial diffusivities, in the left fornix crus, anterior limb of the internal capsule (ALIC), right anterior cingulum and left inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus. (3) Correlations between dMRI metrics and clinical assessments, such as low pre-surgical left fornix and right ALIC fractional anisotropy being related to post-DBS improvements in quality-of-life and depressive symptoms, respectively.ConclusionsWe identified widely-distributed differences in SCC connectivity in anorexia nervosa patients consistent with heterogenous clinical disruptions, although these results should be considered with caution given the low number of subjects. Future studies should further explore the use of affect-related connectivity and behavioral assessments to assist with DBS target selection and treatment outcome.Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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