It has been suggested that antidepressants, including the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors have neurotrophic effects. Nevertheless, the impact of treatment with a selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor on regional brain volumes in social anxiety disorder has not been studied. 11 subjects with social anxiety disorder completed magnetic resonance imaging both before and after 12-weeks of treatment with 20 mg/day escitalopram. No increases in structural grey matter were found, but there were decreases in bilateral superior temporal cortex, vermis and the left cerebellum volumes following 12 weeks of treatment with escitalopram. These preliminary findings require replication to determine their reliability, and extension to determine whether or not they are disorder specific.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.