공황장애의 뇌영상 및 신경생물학적 식견

Brain Imaging Provides Insight into the Neurobiology of Panic Disorder

Panic disorder is a common psychiatric illness that causes considerable morbidity. However, the biological basis of panic disorder remains unclear. In this report, we present and summarize the current literature on functional neuroimaging studies related to the neurobiology of panic disorder. The findings were summarized and divided into six groups : (1) known brain structures related to anxiety, especially panic disorder ; (2) structural results ; (3) functional imaging studies at rest ; (4) functional imaging studies with challenge testing ; (5) neuroreceptor studies ; and (6) changes in the treatment of panic disorder. Based on the findings of these neuroimaging studies, it seems as though panic disorder involves the hippocampal and parahippocampal areas, including the amygdala, as well as some cortical regions, such as the temporal and prefrontal cortices. Panic disorder is known to be associated with an imbalance between the right and left hemispheres of the brain at rest or during panic attacks. During a panic attack, patients with panic disorder are likely to experience an increase in local activity in the cingulate, insula, midbrain, and so on. On the other hand, a widespread reduction in the cortical areas has also been reported in most provocation studies. Thus, panic disorder may be related to the excess activation of the fear networks in response to subtle environmental cues and insufficient inhibition from higher cortical control areas ; however ; further studies are recommended in order to fully understand the neurobiology of panic disorder.