In this study, we utilized proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to understand the role of glutamate (Glu), glutamine (Gln), and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) of OCD patients in the pregenual anterior cingulate cortex (pgACC).

In total, 54 patients with OCD and 54 healthy controls (HC) matched for age and sex were included in the study. They underwent MRS in the pgACC region to calculate the concentrations of Glu, Gln, GABA, and Glu + Gln (Glx). After quality control of the MRS data, 21 OCD and 21 HC were statistically analyzed. The severity of symptoms were evaluated using the Yale–Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (YBOCS). In the statistical analysis, we compared differences between groups for the metabolites; in the OCD we analyzed the correlations with symptom severity, medication status, age, and duration of illness.

A significant decrease in Glx, in Glu, and in Gln in the pgACC were observed in the OCD compared to HC. The correlation statistics showed a significant positive correlation between Glu levels and the YBOCS compulsions subscale.

The results indicate that patients with OCD present a disturbance in glutamatergic metabolism in the pgACC. The results also demonstrate that these changes correlate with the severity of compulsions.

在本研究中，我们利用质子磁共振波谱（MRS）来了解强迫症患者前扣带皮层（pgACC）中谷氨酸（Glu）、谷氨酰胺（Gln）和γ-氨基丁酸（GABA）的作用。

该研究总共纳入了 54 名强迫症患者和 54 名年龄和性别相匹配的健康对照者 (HC)。他们在 pgACC 区域进行了 MRS，以计算 Glu、Gln、GABA 和 Glu + Gln (Glx) 的浓度。对 MRS 数据进行质量控制后，对 21 名 OCD 和 21 名 HC 进行了统计分析。使用耶鲁-布朗强迫量表（YBOCS）评估症状的严重程度。在统计分析中，我们比较了各组之间代谢物的差异；在强迫症中，我们分析了与症状严重程度、药物状态、年龄和病程的相关性。

与 HC 相比，在 OCD 中观察到 pgACC 中的 Glx、Glu 和 Gln 显着降低。相关统计显示 Glu 水平与 YBOCS 强迫量表之间存在显着正相关。

结果表明，强迫症患者的 pgACC 谷氨酸代谢出现紊乱。结果还表明，这些变化与强迫的严重程度相关。