Neurobiology of posttraumatic stress disorder: The role of nuclear neuroimaging

Nuclear neuroimaging plays a valuable role in the noninvasive testing of PTSD models. Correlating abnormalities in function with anatomical imaging, much of this work in patients has focused on isolated structures identifi ed in animal-based research on the neurological basis of fear. Progressing from region-based investigations, recent researchers have incorporated more sophisticated methodological techniques such as functional connectivity analysis to investigate network dysfunctions in the disorder. On a more fundamental level, nuclear techniques have the advantage of being able to investigate underlying neurochemical systems and recent studies have provided evidence for dysfunction in various neurotransmitter systems in these patients. Some of the limitations of current research and future directions are discussed.