Decreased cerebral blood flow of thalamus in PTSD patients as a strategy to reduce re-experience symptoms

• Published in: Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica 2007-08, Vol.116 (2), p.145-153
• Main Authors: Kim, S. J., Lyoo, I. K., Lee, Y. S., Kim, J., Sim, M. E., Bae, S. J., Kim, H. J., Lee, J.-Y., Jeong, D.-U.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adaptation, Psychological - physiology; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Anxiety disorders. Neuroses; Arousal - physiology; Biological and medical sciences; Brain; Burns - psychology; Circulatory system; Correlation analysis; Defense Mechanisms; Disasters; Dominance, Cerebral - physiology; Female; Fires; Humans; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Imaging, Three-Dimensional; Korea; Male; Medical sciences; Mental Recall - physiology; parietal lobe; Parietal Lobe - blood supply; Post traumatic stress disorder; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Railroads; Regional Blood Flow - physiology; Repression, Psychology; single photon emission computed tomography; Statistics as Topic; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - diagnostic imaging; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - physiopathology; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - psychology; Survivors - psychology; Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime; thalamus; Thalamus - blood supply; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; Wounds and Injuries - psychology
• ISSN: 0001-690X; 1600-0447; 0065-1591
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0447.2006.00952.x

Objective:  To investigate alterations of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in subjects with post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Method:  Using [99Tcm]‐hexamethyl propylenamino oxime single photon emission computed tomography, the rCBF under resting condition was compared between 19 survivors of the Taegu subway fire with PTSD and 19 comparison subjects. Results:  PTSD patients showed a decreased rCBF in the right thalamus and an increased rCBF in the right superior parietal lobe relative to comparison subjects (corrected P