Regional cerebral metabolism associated with anxiety symptoms in affectivedisorder patients

Background: We studied the relationship between regional cerebral metabolis m and the severity of anxiety in mood disorder patients, controlling for de pression severity. Methods: Fifty-two medication-free patients with unipolar or bipolar illnes s underwent positron emission tomography with [F-18]-fluorodeoxyglucose. Ha milton Depression Rating Scale and Spielberger Anxiety-Stare Scale scores w ere obtained for the week of the scan. Analyses were performed on globally normalized images and were corrected for multiple comparisons. Results: After covarying for depression scores, age, and gender, Spielberge r Anxiety-Stare Scale scores correlated directly with regional cerebral met abolism in the right parahippocampal and left anterior cingulate regions, a nd inversely with metabolism in the cerebellum, left fusiform, left superio r temporal, left angular gyrus, and left insula. in contrast, covarying for anxiety scores, age, and gender, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores c orrelated directly with regional cerebral metabolism in the bilateral media l frontal, right anterior cingulate, and right dorsolateral prefrontal cort ices. Conclusions: Comorbid anxiety symptoms are associated with specific cerebra l metabolic correlates that partially overlap with those in the primary anx iety disorders and differ from those associated with depression severity. ( C) 2000 Society of Biological Psychiatry.