Brain integrity and cerebral atrophy in Vietnam combat veterans with and without posttraumatic stress disorder.
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with decreased hippocampal volume, but the relationship between trauma and brain morphology in the absence of PTSD is less clear. In this study, measures of brain integrity were determined by estimating gray and white matter regional brain volumes using structural magnetic resonance imaging in six patients with PTSD and in five controls with comparable trauma exposure but without clinical evidence of PTSD. The only statistically significant volume difference between groups was observed multivariately in the white matter of the right temporal lobe (superior temporal gyrus, fusiform gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus, white-matter stem, middle temporal gyrus, and inferior temporal gyrus), although small sample sizes limit the power to detect between-group differences. Both groups showed heterogeneity in cerebral atrophy.
Hedges
Dawson W
DW
Department of Psychology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA. dawson_hedges@byu.edu
Thatcher
G William
GW
Bennett
Pamela J
PJ
Sood
Shabnam
S
Paulson
David
D
Creem-Regehr
Sarah
S
Brown
Bruce L
BL
Allen
Steven
S
Johnson
Jamie
J
Froelich
Brooke
B
Bigler
Erin D
ED
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001284:Atrophy; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003130:Combat Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D016555:Matched-Pair Analysis; D008875:Middle Aged; D009929:Organ Size; D012016:Reference Values; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000473:pathology* / Q000502:physiology; D047829:Vietnam Conflict