RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Abnormal pontine activation in pathological laughing as shown by functional magnetic resonance imaging
JF Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry
JO J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP 1376
OP 1380
DO 10.1136/jnnp.2005.073288
VO 77
IS 12
A1 H Kosaka
A1 N Omata
A1 M Omori
A1 T Shimoyama
A1 T Murata
A1 K Kashikura
A1 T Takahashi
A1 J Murayama
A1 Y Yonekura
A1 Y Wada
YR 2006
UL http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/77/12/1376.abstract
AB To explore the aetiology of pathological laughing, a 65-year-old woman with pathological laughing was examined by 3-T functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) before and after treatment with drugs. Here, we report that the patient consistently showed exaggerated pontine activation during the performance of three tasks before treatment, whereas abnormal pontine activation was no longer found after successful treatment with the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, paroxetine. Our findings in this first fMRI study of pathological laughing suggest that serotonergic replacement decreases the aberrant activity in a circuit that involves the pons.