ACTA FAC. MED. NAISS. 2007;24(3):143-155

  Reviev article

NUCLEAR MEDICINE IN SELECTED PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS

Piotr Lass¹

Jarosław Sławek^2,4

Hubert Wichowicz

¹Department of Nuclear Medicine,

²Department of Neurological-Psychiatric Nursing

³Department of Psychiatry Medical University, Gdańsk, Poland

⁴Department of Neurology St. Adalbert Hospital, Gdansk, Poland

    SUMMARY

    The paper reviews the applications of nuclear medicine techniques in selected psychiatric disorders. Nuclear medicine methods are most useful in the differential diagnosis of dementia, assessing the sequelae of head trauma and neuropsychiatric symptoms of systemic lupus erythematosus. It plays lesser role in mood disorders and parkinsonian syndromes. In other psychiatric disorders it plays mostly investigative role, although the meaning of radionuclide imaging in e.g. post-traumatic stress disorder, eating disorders and sleep disorders is growing.

    The point of gravity in radionuclide brain imaging is turning from cerebral blood flow and metabolism studies towards receptors' imaging, which frequently enables a new insight in the underlying pathological mechanisms of psychiatric disorders.

    Key words: radionuclide imaging, psychiatric disorders