title: Persistent and reversible consequences of combat stress on the mesofrontal circuit and cognition.
abstract: Prolonged stress can have long-lasting effects on cognition. Animal models suggest that deficits in executive functioning could result from alterations within the mesofrontal circuit. We investigated this hypothesis in soldiers before and after deployment to Afghanistan and a control group using functional and diffusion tensor imaging. Combat stress reduced midbrain activity and integrity, which was associated to compromised sustained attention. Long-term follow-up showed that the functional and structural changes had normalized within 1.5 y. In contrast, combat stress induced a persistent reduction in functional connectivity between the midbrain and prefrontal cortex. These results demonstrate that combat stress has adverse effects on the human mesofrontal circuit and suggests that these alterations are partially reversible.
authors.affiliation: Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. guidovanwingen@gmail.com
authors.forename: Guido A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: van Wingen
authors.forename: Elbert
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Geuze
authors.forename: Matthan W A
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Caan
authors.forename: Tamás
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kozicz
authors.forename: Silvia D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Olabarriaga
authors.forename: Damiaan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Denys
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vermetten
authors.forename: Guillén
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fernández
mesh_terms: D001519:Behavior; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003071:Cognition; D003130:Combat Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D008636:Mesencephalon / Q000503:physiopathology; D008889:Military Personnel; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D014857:Warfare
chemical_list: D004298:Dopamine