Does Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Change the Brain? A Systematic Review of Neuroimaging in Anxiety Disorders

This systematic review aims to investigate neurobiological changes related to cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in anxiety disorders detected through neuroimaging techniques and to identify predictors of response to treatment. Cognitive-behavioral therapy modified the neural circuits involved in th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The journal of neuropsychiatry and clinical neurosciences 2009-04, Vol.21 (2), p.114-125
Main Authors: Porto, Patricia Ribeiro, Oliveira, Leticia, Mari, Jair, Volchan, Eliane, Figueira, Ivan, Ventura, Paula
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anxiety
Behavior therapy. Cognitive therapy
Biological and medical sciences
Medical sciences
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Systematic review
Treatments
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Summary:This systematic review aims to investigate neurobiological changes related to cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in anxiety disorders detected through neuroimaging techniques and to identify predictors of response to treatment. Cognitive-behavioral therapy modified the neural circuits involved in the regulation of negative emotions and fear extinction in judged treatment responders. The only study on predictors of response to treatment was regarding obsessive-compulsive disorder and showed higher pretreatment regional metabolic activity in the left orbitofrontal cortex associated with a better response to behavioral therapy. Despite methodological limitations, neuroimaging studies revealed that CBT was able to change dysfunctions of the nervous system.
ISSN:0895-0172
1545-7222
DOI:10.1176/jnp.2009.21.2.114