Transcranial sonography in psychiatry as a potential tool in diagnosis and research

Abstract

Objectives: During the last two decades transcranial sonography (TCS) of the brain parenchyma evolved from a pure research tool to a clinical relevant neuroimaging method especially in Parkinson's disease and related movement disorders. The aim of this systematic review is to update and summarise the published TCS findings in psychiatric disorders and critically address the question whether TCS may be a valuable tool for the diagnosis or differential diagnosis of psychiatric disorders similarly to the field of movement disorders.

Methods: This paper provides detailed information about the perspectives and limitations of TCS, including guidelines for the scanning procedures, assessment of midbrain structures and discusses the potential causes of the ultrasound abnormalities in psychiatric disorders.

Results: Changes in the echogenicity of subcortical brain structures were detected in different disorders, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia, panic disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity (ADHD), bipolar disorder and depressive disorder. Although the physical properties of brain tissue underlying the echogenic features in TCS are largely unknown, no alternative technique provides the same insight into the specific central nervous structural characteristics.

Conclusions: Urgent research questions to further clarify the underlying pathophysiological and structural alterations are further outlined to bring this promising technique to the clinic.

Keywords: Differential diagnosis; brain; mental disorders; neuroimaging; ultrasound.