title: Reduced levels of creatine in the right medial temporal lobe region of panic disorder patients detected with (1)H magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
abstract: In vivo proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H MRS) was used to study possible neurochemical abnormalities in drug-free, symptomatic panic disorder patients at rest. (1)H MRS was performed in 11 panic disorder patients and 11 healthy age- and sex-matched comparison subjects. Levels of brain metabolites were determined in the right medial temporal lobe region (encompassing the whole amygdala and part of the hippocampus) and in the medial prefrontal cortex on the basis of previous work with both structural and functional neuroimaging techniques. The concentration of creatine and phosphocreatine, metabolites involved in energy-dependent systems in brain, was significantly lower in the right medial temporal lobe region of panic disorder patients compared to healthy subjects. No significant differences between the two groups were observed in the medial prefrontal cortex. These results provide neurochemical evidence suggesting the involvement of the amygdalohippocampal region in the pathogenesis of panic disorder.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Institute of Psychiatry and Psychology, Hospital Clínic i Provincial de Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
authors.forename: Guillem
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Massana
authors.forename: Cristóbal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gastó
authors.forename: Carme
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Junqué
authors.forename: José-María
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Mercader
authors.forename: Beatriz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gómez
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Massana
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Torres
authors.forename: Manel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salamero
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods; D003401:Creatine / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D006859:Hydrogen; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D016584:Panic Disorder / Q000378:metabolism*; D012016:Reference Values; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D006859:Hydrogen; D003401:Creatine