Can understanding the neurobiology of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) inform treatment?

OBJECTIVES

We aim to provide a clinically focused review of the neurobiological literature in body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), with a focus on structural and functional neuroimaging.

CONCLUSIONS

There has been a recent influx of studies examining the underlying neurobiology of BDD using structural and functional neuroimaging methods. Despite obvious symptom similarities with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), no study to date has directly compared the two groups using neuroimaging techniques. Studies have established that there are limbic and visual cortex abnormalities in BDD, in contrast to fronto-striatal differences in OCD. Such data suggests affect or visual training maybe useful in BDD.