title: More vulnerability of left than right hippocampal damage in right-handed patients with post-traumatic stress disorder.
abstract: Previous studies have shown hippocampal abnormalities in people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but findings of diminished volume in shortages in the hippocampus have been inconsistent. In this study, we investigated changes in hippocampal volume and neuronal metabolites in right-handed PTSD patients to determine their possible relationship(s) with PTSD severity. We performed a case-control study of 11 right-handed PTSD patients and 11 healthy controls using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H MRS). Hippocampal volume and metabolite ratios of N-acetylaspartate (NAA) to creatine (Cr) (NAA/Cr) and choline compounds (Cho) to Cr (Cho/Cr) were calculated. The severity of PTSD was evaluated by the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS). Significantly decreased left and total normalized hippocampal volumes were found in PTSD patients compared with controls (6.6% for the left hippocampus, 5.5% for total hippocampus). Also, the bilateral hippocampal NAA/Cr ratio of PTSD patients was significantly reduced compared with controls. The volume of the left hippocampus was negatively correlated to the CAPS total and CPAS-C scores. The left hippocampal NAA/Cr ratio was negatively correlated to the CAPS-total, CAPS-B, CAPS-C, and CAPS-D scores. The CAPS total and the CAPS-B scores were positively correlated to the Cho/Cr ratio of the right hippocampus. Our results indicate that hippocampal dysfunction is asymmetric in right-handed PTSD patients, with the left side affected more than the right.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Pathophysiology, Medical School, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056, Hubei, China.
authors.forename: Xi-Ji
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Shu
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Fu-Yin
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Cheng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Xiao-Hai
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Xiao-Ping
authors.initials: XP
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Zhong-Cun
authors.initials: ZC
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Hu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002794:Choline / Q000378:metabolism; D003401:Creatine / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D064847:Multimodal Imaging; D009929:Organ Size; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D003401:Creatine; D002794:Choline