Decreased blood flow of temporal regions of the brain in subjects with panic disorder

Object: The purpose of the current study was to investigate alterations of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in subjects with panic disorder. Methods: Twenty-two subjects with panic disorder who were under psychotropic medications and 25 age and gender-matched healthy comparison subjects were assessed regarding the rCBF of using Tc-99m-hexamethyl propylenamino oxime single photon emission tomography (SPECT). Using statistical parametric mapping, the rCBF was compared between panic disorder and healthy comparison groups. Results: Decreased rCBF flow in right superior temporal lobe was observed in subjects with panic disorder (p < 0.05 after correction for multiple comparisons). The rCBF in right superior temporal gyrus negatively correlated with the duration of illness, scores of panic disorder severity scale (PDSS), Hamilton anxiety rating scale (HARS) and Zung self-rating anxiety scale (Z-SAS). Conclusion: We report that there is a decreased cerebral blood flow of temporal regions of the brain in panic disorder and that this decrease may, in part, reflect the clinical severity of panic disorder.