Journal of Translational Neurosciences

Contribution of neuroimaging methods in anxiety disorders

Anxiety and anxiety related disorders often considered as under-recognized and under-treated clinical problems because
of their high prevalence rates and unknown etiology. According to worldwide statistic almost 75% of people with mental disorders
remain without treatment in developed countries with apporoximately 1 million people lose their lives each year. In addition,World Health
Organization (WHO) alerts that, 1 in 13 people in the world suffers from anxiety disorders. The WHO also reports that anxiety disorders
are the most common mental disorders as a world-wide disease with specific phobia,major depressive disorder and socialphobia being
the most common anxiety disorders. The role of neuroimaging methods in anxiety disorders, with a particular focus on posttraumatic
stress disorder (PTSD), panic disorder, specific phobias,and social anxiety disorder has became very attractive by researchers in recent
years.Neuroimaging studies on anxiety disorders has become consistently important, particularly in the previous decade, because of the
opportunity to prove neurobiological assumptions for anxiety disorders. The improvement of neuroimaging techniques in the previous
decades has contributed greatly to predict, to diagnose and to treat anxiety disorders, as well as helped researchers to put a map on the
neurobiological side of anxiety.
Since the 1980, the early period and onset of usage of neuroimaging techniques,variety of neuroimaging studies which conducted in
order to study anxiety disorders have increased constantly. (Damsa C et al).These include high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging
(MRI), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), positron emission tomography (PET), or single photon emission tomography
(SPECT) which contributed greatly to the biology and the structural and functional neuroanatomy of anxiety disorders.

Aygun Badalova