The effects of childhood trauma and adult stress on obsessive-compulsive symptoms: the role of inflammation markers and thalamic functional connectivity

Background

Emerging evidence suggests that childhood trauma and adult stress are significant contributors to the development of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, the physiological mechanisms by which trauma and stress influence OCD remain unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate whether inflammation and thalamic functional connectivity mediate the relationship between trauma, stress, and the development of OCD.

Methods

A cohort of 105 participants, including 50 individuals with OCD and 55 healthy controls, was assessed using the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS), Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Resting-state functional MRI and blood plasma analysis were used to measure brain connectivity and inflammatory markers.

Results

Significantly higher levels of childhood trauma, stress, and inflammation were observed in the OCD group compared to controls. Elevated inflammatory markers were associated with decreased functional connectivity between thalamic subregions and key cortical areas, including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and superior parietal gyrus, which was negatively correlated with the severity of OCD symptoms and childhood trauma. Path analysis suggested that stress mediates the relationship between childhood trauma and OCD symptoms, and thalamic functional connectivity could serve as mediator between inflammatory factor and OCD.

Conclusions

These findings highlight the critical role of inflammation and thalamic connectivity in the pathophysiology of OCD, which may partly reveal the pathogenic mechanism of trauma and stress, suggesting potential targets for therapeutic intervention.