title: Abnormal coherence imaging in panic disorder: a magnetoencephalography investigation.
abstract: Increased coherence imaging values, as determined by magnetoencephalography, are indicative of increased neural excitability. The purpose of this investigation was to examine coherence imaging values in patients suffering from panic disorder (PD). We also ascertained whether regions with increased coherence had higher representation in the limbic frontotemporal regions (LFTRs). The highest coherence imaging values and their locations, among 54 Brodmann areas, were determined in six PD patients and six age-matched healthy controls. Magnetoencephalography scans were acquired using 148 magnetometer channels and 32 simultaneous EEG channels. Despite the small sample size, coherence imaging values were significantly higher in PD patients. Brain regions with increased coherence were significantly more in areas typically associated with LFTRs in PD patients when compared with controls. The above data suggest that coherence values may be increased in LFTRs of patients with PD. Recent advances in epilepsy research suggest that increased coherence may reflect increased excitability in these brain regions. On the basis of the data provided here as well as in the available literature, we propose that additional research examining coherence values in LFTRs of PD patients could inform the choice of medication in this patient population, with increased coherence (i.e. increased excitability) being a biomarker for favorable responses to medications that limit excitatory transmission, such as benzodiazepines or antiseizure drugs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA. nboutros@med.wayne.edu
authors.forename: Nash N
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Boutros
authors.forename: Matt P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Galloway
authors.forename: Samiran
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ghosh
authors.forename: Klevest
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gjini
authors.forename: Susan M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Bowyer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D015225:Magnetoencephalography; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016584:Panic Disorder / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult