A pilot study of regional cerebral blood flow in children with school phobia

Objective To explore the characteristics of the regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in children with school phobia.Methods The single-photon emission commuted tomography were performed in 17 children with school phobia and 11 normal controls.The rCBF distribution in regions of interest (ROIs) was compared between the two groups.The degree of anxiety was assessed with the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders,and the correlation between the degree of anxiety and rCBF was calculated.Results The rCBF in the right temporoparietal lobe and temporal lobe were significantly lower than that in the left ones in children with social phobia (P＜0.05 ).The rCBF in frontal lobe,right tempomparietal lobe,left caput and putamen,temporal lobe,left thalamus and hippocampus,temporo- occipital and occipital lobe were significantly lower in phobia children than in controls (P＜0.05 ).There was no significant correlation between the rCBF and the degree of anxiety (P＞0.05 ).Conclusion There are possible regional cerebral flow changes in children with school phobia.