¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET in Major Psychiatric Disorders

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Psychiatry
• Systems Neuroscience

Background:

• ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET provides a systems-level perspective on brain dysfunction in psychiatric conditions.
• Findings are more informative at the circuit and network level rather than as fixed disease patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review principal FDG-PET findings in major psychiatric disorders.
• To integrate FDG-PET data with molecular imaging findings.
• To highlight the utility of FDG-PET in complex diagnostic scenarios.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of FDG-PET studies in psychiatry.
• Integration of findings across schizophrenia, addictions, and mood disorders.
• Consideration of clinical state, stage, treatment, and comorbidity effects.

Main Results:

• Reproducible abnormalities identified in prefrontal, limbic, striatal, and associative networks across disorders.
• Abnormalities vary based on clinical factors.
• FDG-PET findings support phenotyping and differential diagnosis in complex cases.

Conclusions:

• FDG-PET offers valuable insights into brain network dysfunction in psychiatric disorders.
• It is a useful adjunct tool for complex cases, aiding in differentiation from other brain disorders.
• FDG-PET is not a standalone diagnostic test for primary psychiatric disorders.