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Temporal lobe volume in panic disorder--a quantitative magnetic resonance imaging study
M Vythilingam1, E R Anderson, A Goddard
1Departments of Radiology and Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, Yale Psychiatric Institute-Research, 184 Liberty St., 06520, New Haven, CT, USA.
Psychiatry Research
|August 30, 2000
Summary
Patients with panic disorder have smaller temporal lobe volumes compared to healthy individuals, as shown by quantitative MRI. Hippocampal volume remained unchanged, suggesting specific temporal lobe alterations in panic disorder.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Radiology
Background:
- Previous research utilized qualitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to identify temporal lobe abnormalities in panic disorder.
- Quantitative volumetric MRI methods have not been previously applied to assess brain changes in panic disorder.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantitatively measure and compare the volumes of the temporal lobe and hippocampus in patients with panic disorder and healthy controls using MRI.
Main Methods:
- Quantitative MRI was employed to measure the volumes of the temporal lobe, hippocampus, and whole brain.
- The study included 13 patients diagnosed with panic disorder and 14 healthy control subjects.
Main Results:
- Patients with panic disorder exhibited significantly smaller mean volumes of the left and right temporal lobes compared to healthy subjects.
- This finding remained significant after adjusting for whole brain volume differences.
- No significant differences in hippocampal volume were observed between the panic disorder group and the control group.
Conclusions:
- Panic disorder is associated with reduced temporal lobe volume.
- The hippocampus volume appears unaffected in panic disorder.
- These results highlight specific volumetric changes in the temporal lobe in panic disorder.