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Alterations of anterior cingulate cortex as predictors of response to cognitive-behavioral therapy

ABSTRACT

Objective

The efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) on the treatment of anxiety-related disorders has been well documented. However, a number of patients do not respond to psychotherapeutic treatment. Therefore, changes in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) as a neural predictor of treatment response have contributed to understanding the differences in treatment outcome. The aim of this study is to describe, through a systematic review, studies published until 2018 that investigate the role of the anterior cingulate cortex on the prediction of response to therapy.

Methods

Searches have been conducted in the PsycInfo, Web of Science and PubMed databases for articles related to the terms “anterior cingulate cortex”, “cognitive-behavioral therapy” and “prediction of response”, including studies with structural and functional neuroimaging.

Results

We selected 14 articles on “post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)”, “obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)” and “social anxiety disorder (SAD)”. Overall, Structural neuroimaging studies functional neuroimaging results were promising. A greater thickness on the ACC was associated with a better response to treatment for PTSD and OCD. Greater activation of the ACC was positively associated with a greater response to treatment for patients with SAD. On the other hand, for those with PTSD, lower activation may be a better predictor of improvement.

Conclusion

The structural and functional alterations observed in neuroimage studies suggest that the ACC has a role in predicting treatment response to CBT. Future studies with larger samples may contribute to the improvement of treatment efficacy in such disorders.

Anterior cingulate cortex; CCA; cognitive behavioral therapy; CBT; prediction

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E-mail: editora@ipub.ufrj.br