J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc.
2010 Mar;49(2):235-240.
Abnormal Cerebral Benzodiazepine Receptors Binding Measured with [(123)I]-Iomazenil SPECT in Panic Disorder
- Affiliations
-
- 1Department of Psychiatry, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. spr88@yumc.ac
- 2Department of Nuclear Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
- 3Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES
Researchers have long hypothesized that the benzodiazepine-GABA system plays a role in the pathophysiology of panic disorder (PD). However, previous neuroimaging studies have been inconclusive, possibly due to matching discrepancies between patients and controls, confounding medication factors, and/or image analyzing methods. This study aimed to compare benzodiazepine receptor binding between PD patients and healthy controls.
METHODS
Via (123)I-iomazenil single-photon emission computed tomography (IMZ-SPECT), we obtained regional brain patterns of benzodiazepine receptor binding for 12 unmedicated PD patients and 8 healthy age-and sex-matched volunteer controls. To analyze the image data, we used statistical parametric mapping (SPM).
RESULTS
Benzodiazepine receptor binding showed a decrease in both the parietal and occipital lobes in PD patients as compared to controls. The anterior cingulate cortex, left parahippocampal gyrus, and both temporal lobes showed increased binding in PD patients.
CONCLUSION
Our findings provide evidence of an abnormal BZD-GABA system in PD patients, suggesting that basal and/or compensatory changes in inhibitory neurotransmissions contribute to the pathogenesis of human PD.
