Title:Effectiveness of the Neuroimaging Techniques in the Recognition of Psychiatric
Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of RCTs
Volume: 20
Author(s): Jian Xiao and Jun Wu*
Affiliation:
- Department of Imaging, Taizhou Jiangyan Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Taizhou, Jiangsu Province 225500, China
Keywords:
Psychiatric disorders, Neuroimaging, Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), Attention deficit hyperactive disorders (ADHD), Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), Stress, Anxiety.
Abstract:
Background:
Neuroimaging has helped us learn about the stages of brain development from infancy to maturity. Neuroimaging helps physicians diagnose mental
illnesses and find novel treatments for them. It can distinguish depression from neurodegenerative diseases or brain tumors, and it can reveal
structural defects that cause psychosis. Psychosis has been linked to lesions in the frontal or temporal lobes of the brain, as well as the thalamus
and hypothalamus, which can be detected using a brain scan for mental illnesses. Neuroimaging uses quantitative and computational methods to
explore the central nervous system. It can detect brain injuries and psychological illnesses. Thus, a systematic review and meta-analysis of
randomized controlled trials using neuroimaging to detect psychiatric disorders assessed their efficacy and benefits.
Materials and Methods:
Appropriate articles were searched from PubMed, MEDLINE, and CENTRAL databases using the appropriate keywords as per the PRISMA
guidelines. Randomized controlled trials and open-label studies were included as per the predefined PICOS criteria. Meta-analysis was performed
using the RevMan software, and statistical parameters like odds ratio and risk difference were calculated.
Results:
Twelve randomized controlled clinical trials with a total of 655 psychiatric patients were included following the criteria from the year 2000 to
2022. We included studies that use different neuroimaging techniques for the detection of organic brain lesions that would help diagnose
psychiatric disorders. The primary outcome was detecting brain abnormalities in diverse psychiatric illnesses with neuroimaging versus
conventional methods. We found the odds ratio value of 2.29 (95% CI 1.49-3.51). The results were heterogeneous with a Tau2 value of 0.38, chi2
value of 35.48, df value of 11, I2 value of 69%, the z value of 3.78, and p-value less than 0.05. The risk difference is 0.20 (95% CI 0.09 -0.31) with
heterogeneity of Tau2 value of 0.03, chi2 value of 50, df value of 11, I2 value of 78%, the z value of 3.49, and p-value less than 0.05.
Conclusion:
The present meta-analysis strongly recommends the use of neuroimaging techniques for the detection of psychiatric disorders.
