BRAIN FUNCTION STUDY WITH GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER (GAD) PATIENTS USING MRS

本子项目是利用由NIH/NCRR资助的中心赠款提供的资源的众多研究子项目之一。子项目和研究者（PI）可能已经从另一个NIH来源获得了主要资金，因此可以在其他CRISP条目中表示。列出的机构是中心的，不一定是研究者的机构。多年来，人们错误地认为广泛性焦虑症（GAD）是罕见的，大多数广泛性焦虑症患者实际上是抑郁的，而且广泛性焦虑症患者只是轻度疾病。虽然现在很清楚，这些假设都是不正确的，但生物学研究者将注意力转向广泛性焦虑症的速度很慢。这给我们对焦虑症的认识留下了一个很大的空白，因为广泛性焦虑症通常在生命早期就开始了，而且似乎易患其他精神疾病。广泛性焦虑症的特征——持续的担心、忧虑和紧张——是大多数其他焦虑和情绪障碍的基础。因此，了解广泛性焦虑症的基本神经生物学似乎很重要。本研究的目的是利用磁共振波谱（MRS/MRI）研究大脑功能。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. For many years it was incorrectly assumed that generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is uncommon, that most patients with GAD are actually depressed, and that GAD patients are only mildly ill. Although it is now clear that none of these assumptions is correct, biological investigators have been slow to turn their attention to GAD. This leaves a major gap in our knowledge about anxiety disorders, because GAD often begins early in life and appears to predispose to other psychiatric illnesses. The characteristic features of GAD - constant worry, apprehension, and tension - are fundamental to most of the other anxiety and mood disorders. Hence, understanding the fundamental neurobiology of GAD appears to be of importance. The purpose of this study is to investigate brain function using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS/MRI).