Abstract
We studied 10 non-depressed patients with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders (OCD) by DSM III-R criteria. All patients were drug-free for the preceding 4 weeks. All were male, age 35 ± 5.2 years. Eight patients were restudied 7 ± 3 months after treatement with clomipramine. A group of 10 healthy normal age matched volunteers was also studied. A dedicated brain imaging device was used for Xenon-133 regional Cerebral Blood Flow (cCBF) measurement. Three quantitative transaxial images of rCBF were obtained by Single Photon Emission Tomography (SPECT). In OCD patients, the baseline study showed overall diminution of hemispheric cortical rCBF when compared to the values in the normal volunteers. The rCBF was mainly decreased in the frontal areas. After clomipramine treatment, the mean rCBF for the right and left hemispheres increased to values which were not significantly different from the normal volunteers ones. A positive correlation was demonstrated between the clinical YaleBrown OCD score and the left hemisphere rCBF values. These results suggest that a general cortical decrease of rCBF is present in OCD and involve predominantely the anterior regions. This abormalities seem reversible after clomipramine treatment.
| Translated title of the contribution | The effect of treatment on cerebral blood flow in obsessive-compulsive disorders: A SPECT study with Xenon-133 |
|---|---|
| Original language | French |
| Pages (from-to) | 1393-1398 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Psychologie Medicale |
| Volume | 23 |
| Issue number | 12 |
| State | Published - 1991 |
| Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Psychiatry and Mental health