Regional cerebral glucose metabolism in anxiety disorders studied with positron emission tomography before and after psychosurgical intervention. A preliminary report.

Regional cerebral metabolic rate of glucose (rCMRGl) was studied with positron emission tomography in patients suffering from severe anxiety disorders undergoing capsulotomy, an anti-anxiety psychosurgical intervention in which fronto-limbic connections are interrupted. Preliminary observations on five patients show a statistically significant reduction in rCMRGl postoperatively in the orbitomedial frontal cortex, a region knonw to be of relevance for the capsulotomy effects. Clinically, 4 of 5 patients improved after surgery. The study may provide new information on the pathophysiology of anxiety.