Brain Regions in Neuropsychiatric Disorders
Reference cards linking 15 psychiatric and neurological disorders, from PTSD and depression to schizophrenia and dementia, to brain regions and circuits.
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What it covers
This reference maps major neuropsychiatric conditions to the brain regions most consistently implicated in them. Region involvement is based on convergent evidence from structural MRI, functional neuroimaging, lesion studies and postmortem data. The 15 disorder cards are grouped into seven categories:
| Category | Disorders |
|---|---|
| Anxiety and trauma | PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder |
| OCD and related | Obsessive-compulsive disorder, Tourette syndrome |
| Mood | Major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder |
| Psychotic | Schizophrenia |
| Neurodevelopmental | ADHD, autism spectrum disorder |
| Neurodegenerative | Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease, frontotemporal dementia |
| Alcohol-related and nutritional | Wernicke encephalopathy, Korsakoff syndrome, alcohol-related brain damage |
What each card shows
Each card lists the regions involved, color-coded by region type (prefrontal, cingulate, amygdala, hippocampus, striatum, thalamus, temporal cortex, cerebellum, brainstem, insula/parietal), followed by a short explanation of how dysfunction in those regions produces the clinical picture. For example, the PTSD card describes amygdala hyperactivation with impaired vmPFC inhibition during extinction, and the MDD card describes Mayberg's limbic-cortical model centered on the subgenual ACC. Theme tags summarize the key mechanisms, and each card links to the relevant circuit in the site's circuit reference. Some cards add an insight box, such as the schizophrenia note on why D2 blockade helps positive symptoms but can worsen cognition.
Network quick reference and 3D view
A summary table pairs nine networks with their primary disorders and key regions, including the amygdala fear network, orbitofrontal loop, frontostriatal attention network, subgenual mood network, reward network, DLPFC cognitive network, hippocampal memory network, social brain network and nigrostriatal motor network. Region chips such as DLPFC, ACC, amygdala, hippocampus, striatum, thalamus, nucleus accumbens and VTA/SNc open the 3D Brain Explorer at that structure.
Who it is for
The page is a teaching reference for residents, medical students and clinicians who want a quick link between a diagnosis and its neuroanatomy. It summarizes research findings at the group level and is not a diagnostic tool for individual patients.
About PsychoPharmRef
PsychoPharmRef is a free clinical psychopharmacology reference built by Jerad Shoemaker, MD for psychiatrists, residents, and medical students. All tools are evidence-based and designed for point-of-care clinical decision support.
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