title: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measurement of hippocampal volume in posttraumatic stress disorder: a meta-analysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Studies in animals showed that the hippocampus, a brain area involved in learning and memory, is sensitive to stress. Although several MRI studies showed smaller hippocampal volume in adults with chronic PTSD, others did not show significant differences from controls. These studies are typified by small sample sizes which may limit the ability to show significant differences. We therefore performed a meta-analytic study of all of these studies to clarify the role of hippocampal structural changes in subjects with PTSD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nine studies with a total of 133 adult subjects with chronic PTSD, 148 healthy controls, and 53 traumatized controls were included in the meta-analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was significantly smaller volume in both right and left hippocampi in adult subjects with chronic PTSD in comparison with both healthy controls and traumatized controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings are consistent with smaller hippocampal volume in adult subjects with chronic PTSD.
authors: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30306, USA. norikita@fd6.so-net.ne.jp
authors: Noriyuki
authors: N
authors: Kitayama
authors: Viola
authors: V
authors: Vaccarino
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Kutner
authors: Paul
authors: P
authors: Weiss
authors: J Douglas
authors: JD
authors: Bremner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D012016:Reference Values; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology