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Aim: Brain metabolism activated studies have indicated associations between memory and the anterior cingulate cortex and hippocampus in patients with depression. The aim of the present study was therefore to investigate memory function, measured as performance on the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised (WMS-R), and its relationship to brain perfusion using single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) at rest in patients with depression., Methods: The Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD) and WMS-R were measured for 17 patients with depression by an independent clinical evaluation team. Voxel-based correlation analyses were performed with statistical parametric mapping at an extent threshold of 200 voxels. Associations were controlled for state and trait factors., Results: WMS-R measurements of verbal, visual, and general memory were inversely correlated with brain perfusion in the right anterior cingulate cortex, left premotor cortices, and both regions, respectively. The HAMD directly correlated with brain perfusion in the right anterior cingulate cortex., Conclusion: Brain perfusion SPECT measurements of the anterior cingulate cortex at rest were associated with the severity of depression and immediate memory scores measured with the WMS-R.

Neuroimaging studies have suggested that behavior therapy (BT) might change abnormal activity in the frontal-subcortical circuits of the brain in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, the results of these studies have been rather inconsistent. The aim of the present study was to use statistical parametric mapping (SPM) analysis to explore the effects of successful BT on regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in patients with OCD. Forty-five OCD patients who were treatment-resistant to a single serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SRI) trial were examined. Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) using 99mTc-ECD was performed before and after the completion of 12 weeks of BT. Although no significant differences in pre-treatment rCBF were observed between responders and nonresponders to BT, the post-treatment rCBF values in the left medial prefrontal cortex (Brodmann area 10) and bilateral middle frontal gyri (Brodmann area 10) were significantly lower in the responders than in the nonresponders. Furthermore, the baseline rCBF in the bilateral orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) was significantly correlated with the change in the Y-BOCS score among the responders. Our results support the hypothesis that while the OFC may be associated with the BT response, BT may result in changes in rCBF in the medial and middle frontal cortex.