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The Association of PTSD Symptom Severity with Localized Hippocampus and Amygdala Abnormalities
- Source :
- Chronic Stress, Vol 1 (2017)
- Publication Year :
- 2017
-
Abstract
- Background The hippocampus and amygdala have been repeatedly implicated in the psychopathology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). While numerous structural neuroimaging studies examined these two structures in PTSD, these analyses have largely been limited to volumetric measures. Recent advances in vertex-based neuroimaging methods have made it possible to identify specific locations of subtle morphometric changes within a structure of interest. Methods In this cross-sectional study, we used high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging to examine the relationship between PTSD symptomatology, as measured using the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale for the DSM-IV, and structural shape of the hippocampus and amygdala using vertex-wise shape analyses in a group of combat-exposed U.S. Veterans (N = 69). Results Following correction for multiple comparisons and controlling for age and cranial volume, we found that participants with more severe PTSD symptoms showed an indentation in the anterior half of the right hippocampus and an indentation in the dorsal region of the right amygdala (corresponding to the centromedial amygdala). Post hoc analysis using stepwise regression suggest that among PTSD symptom clusters, arousal symptoms explain most of the variance in the hippocampal abnormality, whereas reexperiencing symptoms explain most of the variance in the amygdala abnormality. Conclusion The results provide evidence of localized abnormalities in the anterior hippocampus and centromedial amygdala in combat-exposed U.S. Veterans suffering from PTSD symptoms. This novel finding provides a more fine-grained analysis of structural abnormalities in PTSD and may be informative for understanding the neurobiology of the disorder.
- Subjects :
- lcsh:RC435-571
Clinician Administered PTSD Scale
behavioral disciplines and activities
Amygdala
Structural magnetic resonance imaging
Article
03 medical and health sciences
Behavioral Neuroscience
0302 clinical medicine
Neuroimaging
lcsh:Psychiatry
Medicine
Biological Psychiatry
medicine.diagnostic_test
business.industry
Symptom severity
Magnetic resonance imaging
030227 psychiatry
Psychiatry and Mental health
Clinical Psychology
Posttraumatic stress
medicine.anatomical_structure
business
030217 neurology & neurosurgery
Psychopathology
Clinical psychology
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Chronic Stress, Vol 1 (2017)
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....1172f116b992d513e754e957b1078284