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Neuroimaging in PTSD-Related Psychotherapies

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PET and SPECT in Psychiatry

Abstract

Neuroimaging studies conducted in PTSD patients who have undergone various psychological treatments have provided evidence of modifications in cerebral blood flow (single photon emission computer tomography, SPECT), neuronal volume and density (magnetic resonance imaging, MRI), and, more recently, brain electric signal (electroencephalography, EEG). However, to date the number of such studies is still far too limited since only a few psychotherapies have been investigated using SPECT and MRI. In this respect, a recent study designed to monitor psychotherapy-related neurobiological changes is expected to pave the way for a new concept in PTSD treatment investigations. The purpose of this chapter is to review the results of functional and structural changes being reported in PTSD treatments during the period from 1999 to 2012, to present a critical review and to analyze the reported pathophysiological changes.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Mrs Emanuela Enrico for assisting in English editing and EMDR Italy and the Departments of Nuclear Medicine, Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden, and of Systems Medicine, University of Rome “Tor Vergata,” Rome, Italy, for the valuable collaboration in our previous studies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, CNR, Via Palestro 32, Rome, 00185, Italy

    Marco Pagani

  2. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden

    Marco Pagani

  3. Department of Mental Health, “San Luigi Gonzaga” Hospital Medical School, University of Turin, Regione Gonzole 10, Turin, 10043, Italy

    Marco Cavallo

  4. Department of Translational Medicine, “Amedeo Avogadro” University of Eastern Piedmont, Novara, Italy

    Marco Cavallo

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  1. Marco Pagani
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  2. Marco Cavallo
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Correspondence to Marco Pagani .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

    Rudi A.J.O. Dierckx

  2. Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, University of Applied Sciences Offenburg, Offenburg, Germany

    Andreas Otte

  3. Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

    Erik F. J. de Vries

  4. Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

    Aren van Waarde

  5. Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), Groningen, The Netherlands

    Johan A. den Boer

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Pagani, M., Cavallo, M. (2014). Neuroimaging in PTSD-Related Psychotherapies. In: Dierckx, R., Otte, A., de Vries, E., van Waarde, A., den Boer, J. (eds) PET and SPECT in Psychiatry. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-40384-2_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-40384-2_15

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-40384-2

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