Regional Cerebral Blood Flow Study with Single Photon Emission Tomography in Major Depression: Applications and Limitations

Several groups studied regional cerebral perfusion in depression with sometimes heterogeneous results. These can be related to demographic and clinical characteristics as well as to different methods of acquisition and data analysis. Taking into account these variables, the current paper reviews the applications and limitations of regional cerebral blood flow study with single photon emission tomography (SPECT) in major depression. In large part, the available literature reports frontal and temporal hypoperfusion proportional to the severity of depression. Depression improvement is also classically associated by either a global or a regional perfusion increase in the basal ganglia and cingulate gyrus. In addition to rule out mild dementia in aged depressed patient, rCBF SPECT offers also new potential applications that will be discussed.