Functional Imaging in Depression Population - Exploring the Unexplored

Vishnu Vardhan Gandikota
2018 Journal of Medical Science And clinical Research  
Depression is a common psychiatric illness affecting all age groups with high life time prevalence. Recurrent depressive disorder is diagnosed from second episode of depression. Psychiatry has started searching for a biological basis with recent advances in functional imaging techniques, like Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography to identify changes in cerebral perfusion associated with psychiatric illness Aim and objectives: To study cerebral perfusion changes in Recurrent Depressive
more » ... der subjects in different locations of brain using SPECT scan during depressive phase and in clinical remission Material and Methods: Prospective, observational study at a tertiary care center with institutional ethics committee approval Results: 11 subjects participated in the study with increased perfusion in Right Frontal, Temporal and Caudate nucleus and decreased perfusion in Left Parietal region following successful treatment was observed. Though regional perfusion pattern changed with treatment in different brain regions, no significant difference in regional blood flow has been noticed between pre and post treatment groups (p value > 0.05) in all regions measured. Conclusion: There are regional variations in perfusion pattern in different brain regions, but there does not exist significant differences in cerebral perfusion before and after successful treatment with antidepressant medications.
doi:10.18535/jmscr/v6i1.160 fatcat:lhlmonqgmbavtejurkliydfsle