Corticolimbic activation patterns during aversive audiogenic stress assessed by cerebral perfusion using [99mTc]HMPAO SPECT/CT

Time-anchored perfusion SPECT delineates a threat-responsive mesocorticolimbic-midbrain circuitry during unexpected acoustic stress, prominently implicating the ventral hippocampus, and reveals a shift at context re-entry toward prefrontal monitoring with attenuated hippocampal/retrosplenial and midbrain defensive signals. These findings contribute to understanding the neural substrates of anxiety disorders, with implications for developing targeted interventions.