The sex-different effect of oxytocin receptor gene methylation on cerebral gray matter structures and clinical symptoms in Korean patients with panic disorder.

Background: Panic disorder (PD) is sexually dimorphic in its clinical manifestation, possibly due to differences in brain processing of fear and anxiety. Given oxytocin's role in socio-emotional regulation, epigenetic alterations in the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) constitute one possible mechanism underlying sexual dimorphism in PD. We investigated the sex difference in cerebral gray matter volume (GMV) and its association with OXTR methylation in PD patients.

Cerebro-cerebellar gray matter abnormalities associated with cognitive impairment in patients with recent-onset and chronic schizophrenia.

Although the role of the cerebellum in schizophrenia has gained attention, its contribution to cognitive impairment remains unclear. We aimed to investigate volumetric alterations in the cerebro-cerebellar gray matter (GM) in patients with recent-onset schizophrenia (ROS) and chronic schizophrenia (CS) compared with healthy controls (HCs). Seventy-two ROS, 43 CS, and 127 HC participants were recruited, and high-resolution T1-weighted structural magnetic resonance images of the brain were acquired.