Add SPECT to the list of imaging modalities that can help physicians distinguish between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI), potentially leading to more appropriate treatment for military veterans.
In a new study published online April 23 in Brain Imaging and Behavior, SPECT clearly showed perfusion differences in the brain’s default mode network that could enable radiologists to distinguish TBI from PTSD, according to the researchers.
Understanding whether a person has PTSD, TBI, or both can significantly change the management of their disorder, said lead author Dr. Cyrus Raji, PhD, a radiology resident at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
“It is hard to tell clinically sometimes which disorder is the more dominant disorder and which the patient has,” Raji said. “It can then be harder to plan treatment. Knowing who has PTSD or TBI or both is actionable information.”
Learn more about the study here.