title: High frequency of EEG and MRI brain abnormalities in panic disorder.
abstract: The frequency and quality of brain abnormalities in panic disorder (PD) were assessed with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The use of electroencephalography (EEG) to detect PD patients with a high probability of morphologic brain abnormalities was also explored. Consecutive PD patients (n = 120) were screened with routine EEG examinations and were divided into the following subgroups on the basis of their EEG findings: patients with non-epileptic EEG abnormalities (EEG-A group, n = 28), matched patients with normal EEG results (EEG-N group, n = 28) and matched healthy controls (n = 28). PD patients showed a higher than expected rate of non-epileptic EEG abnormalities (29.2%; 35 of 120). EEG screening was effective in identifying patients with a high probability of morphologic brain abnormalities. MRI abnormalities were found in 60.7% of the EEG-A patients, 17.9% of the EEG-N patients, and only 3.6% of the controls. A high frequency of septo-hippocampal abnormalities was found. Further research should focus on attempts to subtype PD on the basis of neuroanatomic and functional brain abnormalities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dantendorfer
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Prayer
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kramer
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Amering
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Baischer
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Berger
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schoder
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Steinberger
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Windhaber
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Imhof
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Katschnig
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000503:physiopathology; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019965:Neurocognitive Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D016584:Panic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D012688:Septum Pellucidum / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000503:physiopathology