Anterior cingulate neurochemistry in social anxiety disorder: 1H-MRS at 4 Tesla.
Recent studies suggest exaggerated responses in the limbic system of patients with generalized social anxiety disorder in response to threat/anxiety-related social situations and aversive conditioning, processes mediated by the glutamatergic system. This single-voxel, high-field 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy study examined concentrations of glutamate, and other metabolites, in the anterior cingulate cortex and occipital cortex (control region) of 10 medication-naive patients with generalized social anxiety and 10 matched healthy comparison subjects. Glutamate (relative to creatine) levels were significantly higher in patients than controls in the anterior cingulate, but not occipital, cortex. Anterior cingulate glutamate/creatine levels were also correlated with intensity of social anxiety symptoms. These findings provide new evidence of glutamate's involvement in the neural mechanism underlying social phobia.
Phan
K Luan
KL
Department of Psychiatry, Pritzker School of Medicine, The University of Chicago, 5841 South Maryland Avenue MC3077 (L-461), Chicago, IL, USA. luan@uchicago.edu
Fitzgerald
Daniel A
DA
Cortese
Bernadette M
BM
Seraji-Bozorgzad
Navid
N
Tancer
Manuel E
ME
Moore
Gregory J
GJ
D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000523:psychology; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D009778:Occipital Lobe / Q000378:metabolism; D011522:Protons; D012919:Social Behavior
D011522:Protons; D018698:Glutamic Acid