Regional Cerebral Blood Flow in Patients Suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
- Resource Type
- Article
- Authors
- Mirzaei; Knoll; Keck; Preitler; Gutierrez; Umek; Köhn; Pecherstorfer
- Source
- Neuropsychobiology. 2001, Vol. 43 Issue 4, p260-264. 5p.
- Subject
- *CEREBRAL circulation
*BLOOD circulation
*POST-traumatic stress disorder
*TRAUMATIC neuroses
*TORTURE
- Language
- ISSN
- 0302-282X
Objective: The aim of the study was to determine whether regional cerebral blood flow in survivors of torture suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) differed significantly from that in healthy controls. Method: We examined the cerebral regional distribution of 99m-technetium-hexamethylpropyleneamineoxime (HMPAO) using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in 8 patients and in 8 healthy controls. A semi-quantitative analysis was performed in which symmetrical regions of interest (ROI) were drawn in all subjects. Results: Regional blood flow was markedly more heterogeneous in patients suffering from PTSD than in healthy controls. The differences are significant. Conclusion: Severe psychological trauma induced by torture can cause neurobiologic alterations that may contribute, even years after the original trauma, to a number of complaints commonly expressed by patients suffering from PTSD.Copyright © 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]