Functional neuroanatomy in panic disorder: Status quo of the research.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Qualitative narrative review without quantitative meta-analysis
PubMed 28401046 · doi:10.5498/wjp.v7.i1.12
What was done
The authors conducted a PubMed literature search of neurofunctional, neurostructural, neurochemical, and imaging genetics studies on panic disorder published between January 2012 and April 2016 to review current models of functional neuroanatomy.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical values, pooled estimates, or effect sizes. Qualitatively, recent functional imaging studies showed abnormal activation across an extended fear network including the brainstem, anterior and midcingulate cortex, insula, and lateral and medial prefrontal cortex. Amygdala hyperactivation was inconsistently reported across studies. Neurochemical findings supported involvement of serotonergic, noradrenergic, and glutamatergic transmission, while GABAergic alterations remained inconclusive. Imaging genetics studies linked panic disorder pathophysiology to polymorphisms in serotonergic and noradrenergic genes, as well as neuropeptide S receptor, CRH receptor, TMEM123D, and ACCN2 genes.
Why it matters
This synthesis updates classic amygdala-centric fear network models by emphasizing broader cortical networks and candidate gene variations involved in panic disorder.
Limits
The abstract provides no quantitative data, study counts, or participant totals. The summarized primary literature is limited by paradigm heterogeneity, sample size variation, and neuroimaging technical constraints.
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