SSRI Treatment Response Prediction in Depression Based on Brain Activation by Emotional Stimuli.

The prediction of antidepressant treatment response may improve outcome. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of emotion processing in major depressive disorder (MDD) may reveal regional brain function serving as predictors of response to treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). We examined the association between pre-treatment neural activity by means of fMRI during the perception of emotional stimuli in 22 patients with MDD and the treatment outcome after 6 weeks' medication with an SSRI.

Physiological aberrations in panic disorder.

Panic disorder is a frequent and clinically relevant medical entity with a high lifetime prevalence and significant impact on psychosocial stability and function. Regarding the clinical presentation, there are obvious similarities in paroxysmal neurological disorders such as seizures and focal epilepsies. In this context, the detection of EEG abnormalities during the attacks or in asymptomatic intervals, continuously or rhythmical, is of significant interest.