title: Combat exposure is associated with cortical thickness in Veterans with a history of chronic pain.
abstract: Chronic Pain (CP) has been associated with changes in gray matter integrity in the cingulate and insular cortex. However, these changes have not been studied in Veterans, despite high prevalence rates of CP and interactions with combat-derived disorders. In the current study, 54 Veterans with a history of CP and 103 Veterans without CP were recruited from the Translational Research Center for Traumatic Brain Injury and Stress Disorders (TRACTS). Cortical thickness from structural MRI scans was determined using the FreeSurfer software package. Results showed that Veterans with CP showed a negative association between cortical thickness and levels of combat exposure in the left inferior frontal gyrus and superior parietal cortex, as well as the right rostral middle frontal gyrus, precentral and postcentral gyri and the superior temporal cortex. These findings suggest that CP may alter the relationship between cortical thickness and exposure to the stress of combat.
authors.affiliation: Translational Research Center for TBI and Stress Disorders (TRACTS)/Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Centers (GRECC), VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA; Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address: Vincent.corbo@va.gov.
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, Boston, MA, USA; Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Charlestown, MA, USA.
authors.forename: David H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Salat
authors.affiliation: School of Social Work, Boston College, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Margaret A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Powell
authors.affiliation: Translational Research Center for TBI and Stress Disorders (TRACTS)/Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Centers (GRECC), VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, 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, Boston, 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; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology; D003130:Combat Disorders / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D014481:United States; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Combat exposure; Cortical thickness; PTSD; Pain; Trauma; Veterans