The Journal of clinical psychiatry
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Review Comparative Study
Comparison of SPECT applications in neurology and psychiatry.
The following presentation provides an overview of SPECT brain imaging applications in both neurologic and psychiatric disorders. Specific findings in cerebrovascular disease, dementia, and epilepsy are described in order to highlight the role SPECT plays in distinguishing primary organic disease from primary psychopathology. ⋯ The role of network imaging analysis across groups in psychiatric subjects is contrasted to its roles in neurologic disorders. The degree to which both neurologic and psychiatric pathology seen on SPECT exceeds that observed through structural modalities is defined.
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Over the past 10 years several studies have been conducted in psychiatric and neurologic patients with single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) to determine if patterns of brain dysfunction exist that characterize the different mental diseases. Although there has not been any finding that can be referred to as specific for a particular disease, SPECT studies have been able to demonstrate evidence of brain dysfunction in patients who, when tested with other means, showed no evidence of brain abnormalities. In this manuscript, the current and future applications of SPECT in the clinical practice of psychiatry are analyzed.