Abstract
I will review the brain imaging studies on panic disorder (PD), and show the significance that they propose for the development of psychosomatic medicine. The major neuroanatomical models of PD have been proposed by Gorman and Coplan. The sufficient evidence has been accumulated these 5 years for supporting their hypotheses, and PD has come to be regarded as a brain disease. The studies include those showing brain functional abnormalities at rest, specific responses to the relevant tasks, and brain structural abnormalities. The results indicated the hypofunction and atrophy of prefrontal cortex besides the hyperfunction of amygdala, hippocampus, and periaqueductal grey that are the key structures of the above-mentioned models. On the other hand, PD could be treated successfully by a cognitive behavior therapy without the use of psychotropic drugs in a study, and the brain glucose metabolic changes were found not in amygdala but in bilateral dorsomedial prefrontal corteces related to mindful awareness. This result indicates that the change in mind brings the change in body, which is an important fact presenting a basis of mind/body interaction.
