title: Gray matter deficits in panic disorder: a pilot study of meta-analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to conduct a meta-analysis of published voxel-based morphometry studies in panic disorder (PD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Six data sets consisting of patients with PD and healthy controls were enrolled for this meta-analysis. A new improved voxel-based meta-analytic tool, signed differential mapping, was used to explore deficits of gray matter volume in PD patients compared to the control group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with PD had decreased regional gray matter volumes in right caudate head (uncorrected P = 0.0002) and right parahippocampal gyrus (uncorrected P = 0.0005). These regions could be confirmed in the following jackknife sensitivity analysis. The meta-regression results showed that the included patients with more severe PD tended to have more deficits of gray matter volume in the right basal ganglion (uncorrected P = 0.0008).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with PD possibly have decreased gray matter volumes in the striatolimbic areas. However, more studies with whole-brain voxel-based morphometry in PD and first-episode drug-naive studies might elucidate structural deficits.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Buddhist Tzu-Chi General Hospital, Taipei Branch, National Yang Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chien-Han
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Lai
mesh_terms: D001284:Atrophy / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D009413:Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / Q000473:pathology*; D016584:Panic Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D010865:Pilot Projects