ROLE OF SINGLE PHOTON EMISSION COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY SCAN IN AFFECTIVE DISORDERS

Abstract

Background: Depression is a common psychiatric illness affecting all age groups with high life 
time prevalence. Recurrent depressive disorder is diagnosed from the time of second episode of 
depression. Psychiatry specialty has started searching for a biological basis of illness with recent 
advances in functional imaging techniques, like Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography 
to identify changes in cerebral perfusion pattern associated with psychiatric illness 
Aim and objectives: To study cerebral perfusion changes in Recurrent Depressive Disorder 
subjects in different regions of brain using SPECT scan during depressive episode and during 
clinical remission.