title: Voxel-based morphometric gray matter correlates of posttraumatic stress disorder.
abstract: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with functional abnormalities within a neurocircuitry that includes the hippocampus, amygdala, and medial prefrontal cortex. Evidence of structural abnormalities within these regions, and their association with PTSD severity and symptom burden is, however, sparse. The present study evaluated the relation between indices of gray matter volume and PTSD symptom severity using voxel-based morphometry. Fifteen individuals meeting DSM-IV criteria for PTSD completed the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale and underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging. Greater PTSD severity and avoidance/numbing were correlated with increased gray matter volume of the right amygdala-hippocampal complex. Greater hyper-arousal was associated with reduced gray matter volume in the left superior medial frontal gyrus. Findings are consistent with current neurocircuitry models of PTSD, which posit that the disorder is associated with structural and functional variance within this distributed network.
authors.affiliation: McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA. mweber@mclean.harvard.edu
authors.forename: Mareen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Weber
authors.forename: William D S
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Killgore
authors.forename: Isabelle M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Rosso
authors.forename: Jennifer C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Britton
authors.forename: Zachary J
authors.initials: ZJ
authors.lastname: Schwab
authors.forename: Melissa R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Weiner
authors.forename: Naomi M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.forename: Mark H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Pollack
authors.forename: Scott L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Rauch
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000679:Amygdala / Q000473:pathology; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000473:pathology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D059906:Neuroimaging; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult