Precuneal activity during encoding in veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder.
Impaired attention and memory are symptoms frequently associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Previous studies have identified fronto-temporal alterations during encoding in patients with PTSD. We examine the role of the precuneus (located in the posteromedial parietal lobe) that is known to play a role in memory, but has largely been neglected in PTSD research. Male veterans with and without PTSD (n=12 per group) were subjected to fMRI during encoding of 12 neutral, non-trauma related word pairs. The precuneus was less activated in veterans with PTSD, which correlated significantly with the severity of PTSD. Like fronto-temporal regions the precuneus is differentially activated during memory formation in veterans with PTSD.
Department of Military Psychiatry, Central Military Hospital, Ministry of Defense, Utrecht, The Netherlands. s.g.geuze@umcutrecht.nl
Elbert
E
Geuze
Eric
E
Vermetten
Carien S
CS
de Kloet
Herman G M
HG
Westenberg
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D014728:Veterans