title: Evidence for smaller right amygdala volumes in posttraumatic stress disorder following childhood trauma.
abstract: Hippocampus and amygdala volumes in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) related to childhood trauma are relatively understudied, albeit the potential importance to the disorder. Whereas some studies reported smaller hippocampal volumes, little evidence was found for abnormal amygdala volumes. Here we investigated hippocampus and amygdala volumes and shapes in an adult sample of PTSD patients related to childhood trauma. T1-weighted MR images were acquired from 12 female PTSD patients with trauma related to physical, sexual, and/or emotional abuse before age 18, and from 12 matched controls. Hippocampus and amygdala were segmented, and volumes were calculated and corrected for the total intracranial volume. Additionally, a shape analysis was done on the surface of the structures to explore abnormalities in specific subnuclei. Smaller right amygdala volumes were found in PTSD patients as compared with the controls. This difference appeared to be located specifically in the basolateral and superficial nuclei groups. Severity of sexual abuse during childhood was negatively correlated with the size of the amygdala. No difference in hippocampal volumes was found. Although our results are not conclusive, traumatic events in childhood might impede normal development of the amygdala, which could render a person more vulnerable to develop PTSD later in life.
authors.affiliation: Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden, The Netherlands; Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Division of Mind and Brain Research, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: ilya.veer@charite.de.
authors.forename: Ilya M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Veer
authors.affiliation: Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden, The Netherlands; University of Amsterdam, Addiction, Development, and Psychopathology (ADAPT) Lab, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Brain and Cognition, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Nicole Y L
authors.initials: NY
authors.lastname: Oei
authors.affiliation: Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden, The Netherlands; Leiden University Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: van Buchem
authors.affiliation: Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden, The Netherlands; Leiden University - Institute of Psychology, Leiden, The Netherlands; Leiden University Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Spinhoven
authors.affiliation: Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden, The Netherlands; Leiden University - Institute of Psychology, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Bernet M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Elzinga
authors.affiliation: Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden, The Netherlands; Leiden University Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Leiden, The Netherlands; Leiden University - Institute of Psychology, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Serge A R B
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Rombouts
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D054523:Adult Survivors of Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D000679:Amygdala / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Amygdala; Childhood maltreatment; Hippocampus; Posttraumatic stress disorder; Shape analysis; Subcortical segmentation