title: Tracking down the footprints of bad paternal relationships in dissociative disorders: A diffusion tensor imaging study.
abstract: Preclinical studies indicate that stress early in life can cause long-term alterations in brain development. Studies have shown alterations in the brain functions of patients after experiencing trauma. Our aim is to examine whether the integrity of white matter tracts might be affected in dissociative disorder (DD) patients. A total of 15 DD patients and 15 healthy controls were studied, with the groups matched by age and gender. Diffusion-weighted echoplanar brain images were obtained using a 1.5 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging scanner. Regions of interest were manually placed on directional maps based on principal anisotropy. Apparent diffusion coefficient and fractional anisotropy (FA) values of white matter were measured bilaterally in the anterior corona radiata (ACR) and by diffusion tensor imaging in the genu and splenium of the corpus callosum. Significantly lower FA values were observed in the right ACR of DD patients versus healthy individuals. We also found an association between bad paternal relationships and lower FA in the genu of the corpus callosum in female patients. Alterations in the right ACR suggest that diffusion anisotropy measurement can be used as a quantitative biomarker for DD. Paternal relationships may also affect the brain's microstructure in women with DD.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychiatry , Balikligol State Hospital , Sanliurfa , Turkey.
authors.forename: Sultan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Basmacı Kandemir
authors.affiliation: b Department of Psychiatry , Siverek State Hospital , Sanliurfa , Turkey.
authors.forename: Hüseyin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bayazıt
authors.affiliation: c Department of Psychiatry , McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston , Houston , Texas , USA.
authors.forename: Salih
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Selek
authors.affiliation: d Department of Radiology , M.Akif Inan Training and Education Hospital , Sanliurfa , Turkey.
authors.forename: Nihat
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kılıçaslan
authors.affiliation: e Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry , University of Harran , Sanliurfa , Turkey.
authors.forename: Hasan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kandemir
authors.affiliation: f Department of Psychiatry , University of Harran , Sanliurfa , Turkey.
authors.forename: İbrahim Fatih
authors.initials: İF
authors.lastname: Karababa
authors.affiliation: f Department of Psychiatry , University of Harran , Sanliurfa , Turkey.
authors.forename: Mahmut
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Katı
authors.affiliation: f Department of Psychiatry , University of Harran , Sanliurfa , Turkey.
authors.forename: Hasan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Çeçe
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016880:Anisotropy; D001931:Brain Mapping; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D004213:Dissociative Disorders / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005219:Father-Child Relations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014421:Turkey
keywords: Abusive relationship; brain imaging; diffusion tensor imaging; dissociative disorder; early trauma