Estimation of usefulness of positron emission tomography (PET) in the diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorders--preliminary report.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the possibility of using PET both in assessing the susceptibility to stress and in the diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorders. Mentally and somatically healthy soldiers were subjected to PET-CT head scan examinations before and after virtual reality stimulation with warfare scenarios. Despite stimulation of peripheral nervous system after 10 minutes, VR exposure in any of the examined soldiers simulation did not cause changes in any brain structure that was visualized in PET. PET-CT head scan was also performed in patients with typical symptoms of acute PTSD according to the criteria of DSM IV TR. In those patients no changes in any brain structure was found. Initially it was found that VR exposure techniques like clinically typical acute symptoms of PTSD do not leave changes in CNS, which could be visualized in PET. The preliminary hypothesis was put forward that exposure to stimuli like symptoms of PTSD must remain long enough to induce permanent damage of brain structure.