Project Summary

Justine Kent, M.D. (Young Investigator 2004) of Columbia University, points out that different neuroimaging methods used in patients with psychiatric disease measure either changes in patterns of blood flow in the brain or neuroreceptor populations. But she says these techniques are rarely used in the same patient samples. Employing complementary neuroimaging techniques in the same patient group, however, could correlate pre-treatment brain activity and neuroreceptor measures, and identify measures predictive of treatment response. In the proposed study, Dr. Kent plans to use positron emission tomography (PET) to measure the density of the serotonin reuptake transporter in patients with social anxiety disorder who will also undergo fMRI to examine potentially abnormal patterns of blood flow in response to stimuli related to social cues. Results could improve understanding of the role of serotonin in anxiety, and lead to the development of predictors of treatment response to an SSRI for social anxiety disorder.

Program Area: ANXIETY DISORDERS\Anxiety Disorder

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