Smaller volume of anterior cingulate cortex in abuse-related posttraumatic stress disorder.
OBJECTIVE
The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) plays an important role in emotion, and studies in animals have shown changes in ACC structure with early life stress. The purpose of this study was to measure volume of the ACC in PTSD.


METHODS
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to measure ACC volume in 8 subjects with abuse-related PTSD and 13 healthy subjects without PTSD. ACC volume included Brodmann's area [BA] 24 and 32.


RESULTS
Right ACC volume in PTSD patients was significantly smaller than in non-PTSD subjects.


CONCLUSIONS
These results are consistent with smaller ACC volume in PTSD.
Kitayama
Noriyuki
N
Division of Adult Mental Health, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, 4-1-1 Ogawa-higashi, Kodaira-shi, Tokyo 187-8553, Japan. norikita@fd6.so-net.ne.jp
Quinn
Sinead
S
Bremner
J Douglas
JD
D000328:Adult; D001284:Atrophy; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology