• AI
  • Molecular Imaging
  • CT
  • X-Ray
  • Ultrasound
  • MRI
  • Facility Management
  • Mammography

SPECT zooms in on causes of social anxiety disorder

Article

Using brain SPECT, Dutch researchers found abnormalities in the brains of individuals with symptoms of social anxiety disorder, a condition that affects an estimated 15 million adults in the U.S.

Dr. Nic J.A. van der Wee and colleagues at Leiden University in the Netherlands used a binding radioactive compound as a tracer to visualize dopamine and serotonin transporters in the brain.

Twelve patients diagnosed with social anxiety disorder and 12 healthy controls underwent the procedure. In the patients with social anxiety disorder, SPECT revealed modified uptake activity in the thalamus, midbrain, and pons, areas known to be acted upon by serotonin, and in the striatum, an area known to be acted upon by dopamine.

Findings underscored the neurophysiological component of social anxiety (J Nucl Med 2008;49[5]:757-763).

-By H.A. Abella

Recent Videos
Emerging Research at SNMMI Examines 18F-flotufolastat in Managing Primary and Recurrent Prostate Cancer
Could Pluvicto Have a Role in Taxane-Naïve mCRPC?: An Interview with Oliver Sartor, MD
New SNMMI President Cathy Cutler, PhD, Discusses Current Challenges and Goals for Nuclear Medicine
Where the USPSTF Breast Cancer Screening Recommendations Fall Short: An Interview with Stacy Smith-Foley, MD
A Closer Look at MRI-Guided Transurethral Ultrasound Ablation for Intermediate Risk Prostate Cancer
Improving the Quality of Breast MRI Acquisition and Processing
Can Fiber Optic RealShape (FORS) Technology Provide a Viable Alternative to X-Rays for Aortic Procedures?
Does Initial CCTA Provide the Best Assessment of Stable Chest Pain?
Making the Case for Intravascular Ultrasound Use in Peripheral Vascular Interventions
Can Diffusion Microstructural Imaging Provide Insights into Long Covid Beyond Conventional MRI?
Related Content
© 2024 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.