Cerebral benzodiazepine receptor binding and distribution in generalized anxiety disorder: a fractal analysis.

Data obtained from animal and human brain imaging studies indicate that frontal cortex and medial temporal lobe are involved in experiencing and controlling fear and anxiety. We tested the hypothesis that benzodiazepine receptor binding is decreased in the left temporal pole and increased in the right prefrontal area among patients suffering from anxiety. We studied 10 drug-naive female patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and 10 age- and gender-matched healthy controls with MRI and with SPET by using a new (123)I-labelled specific benzodiazepine receptor radioligand, NNC 13-8241.