Abstract
This chapter provides a review of the literature on positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging studies of suicidal thoughts and behavior. Main findings from the review include a reduced prefrontal perfusion or metabolism in association with a history of suicide attempts or with suicidal ideation. Studies in resting conditions but especially studies using activation paradigms point at a basal hypofunction with a blunted increase in activation when challenged. Moreover, impairment of the prefrontal serotonergic system in association with suicidal behavior is demonstrated in a number of studies. A substantial number of methodological issues however hamper the interpretation of findings. Future neuroimaging studies need to take these issues into account in order to contribute to our understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms underlying suicidal behavior and thus to the prediction, treatment, and prevention of this important public health problem.
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Abbreviations
- BP:
-
Binding potential
- DAT:
-
Dopamine transporter
- MDD:
-
Major Depressive Disorder
- PET:
-
Positron Emission Tomography
- rCMRglu:
-
Regional cerebral metabolic rate of glucose uptake
- SERT:
-
Serotonin transporter
- SPECT:
-
Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography
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Desmyter, S., Bijttebier, S., van Heeringen, C. (2014). Functional Brain Imaging of Suicidal Behavior. 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_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-40384-2_6
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