title: Reduced cortical thickness in veterans exposed to early life trauma.
abstract: Studies have shown that early life trauma may influence neural development and increase the risk of developing psychological disorders in adulthood. We used magnetic resonance imaging to examine the impact of early life trauma on the relationship between current posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and cortical thickness/subcortical volumes in a sample of deployed personnel from Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom. A group of 108 service members enrolled in the Translational Research Center for Traumatic Brain Injury and Stress Disorders (TRACTS) were divided into those with interpersonal early life trauma (EL-Trauma+) and Control (without interpersonal early life trauma) groups based on the Traumatic Life Events Questionnaire. PTSD symptoms were assessed using the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale. Cortical thickness and subcortical volumes were analyzed using the FreeSurfer image analysis package. Thickness of the paracentral and posterior cingulate regions was positively associated with PTSD severity in the EL-Trauma+ group and negatively in the Control group. In the EL-Trauma+ group, both the right amygdala and the left hippocampus were positively associated with PTSD severity. This study illustrates a possible influence of early life trauma on the vulnerability of specific brain regions to stress. Changes in neural morphometry may provide information about the emergence and maintenance of symptoms in individuals with PTSD.
authors.affiliation: Translational Research Center for TBI and Stress Disorders (TRACTS)/Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Centers (GRECC), VA Boston Healthcare System, Jamaica Plain, MA, USA; Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA; Neuroimaging Research for Veterans (NeRVe) Center, VA Boston Healthcare, Jamaica Plain, MA, USA. Electronic address: vincent.corbo@mail.mcgill.ca.
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Corbo
authors.affiliation: Translational Research Center for TBI and Stress Disorders (TRACTS)/Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Centers (GRECC), VA Boston Healthcare System, Jamaica Plain, MA, USA; Neuroimaging Research for Veterans (NeRVe) Center, VA Boston Healthcare, Jamaica Plain, MA, USA; Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Charlestown, MA, USA.
authors.forename: David H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Salat
authors.affiliation: Translational Research Center for TBI and Stress Disorders (TRACTS)/Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Centers (GRECC), VA Boston Healthcare System, Jamaica Plain, MA, USA; Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Melissa M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Amick
authors.affiliation: Translational Research Center for TBI and Stress Disorders (TRACTS)/Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Centers (GRECC), VA Boston Healthcare System, Jamaica Plain, MA, USA; Division of Aging, Brigham & Women׳s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Elizabeth C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Leritz
authors.affiliation: Translational Research Center for TBI and Stress Disorders (TRACTS)/Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Centers (GRECC), VA Boston Healthcare System, Jamaica Plain, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA, USA.
authors.forename: William P
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Milberg
authors.affiliation: Translational Research Center for TBI and Stress Disorders (TRACTS)/Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Centers (GRECC), VA Boston Healthcare System, Jamaica Plain, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Regina E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: McGlinchey
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D055826:Afghan Campaign 2001-; D000679:Amygdala / Q000473:pathology*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000473:pathology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D054542:Iraq War, 2003-2011; D008016:Life Change Events; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009929:Organ Size; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Amygdala; Cortical thickness; Posterior cingulate; Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); Trauma