Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Amygdala, medial prefrontal cortex, and hippocampal function in PTSD.

Lisa M Shin1, Scott L Rauch, Roger K Pitman

  • 1Department of Psychology, Tufts University, 490 Boston Avenue, Medford, MA 02155, USA. lisa.shin@tufts.edu

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
|August 8, 2006
PubMed
Summary

Neuroimaging studies reveal altered brain structure and function in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Key areas like the amygdala, medial prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus show significant changes associated with PTSD symptom severity.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Social support and post-traumatic stress symptoms: Longitudinal bidirectional relationships in the AURORA study.

Journal of mood and anxiety disorders·2026
Same author

Associations between residential segregation, ambient air pollution, and hippocampal features in recent trauma survivors.

Translational psychiatry·2026
Same author

Inflammatory markers in the emergency department and PTSD symptoms in the AURORA Study: A longitudinal cohort study.

Psychological medicine·2026
Same author

Neighborhood disadvantage and accelerated epigenetic aging in the early aftermath of trauma: The moderating role of individual psychological resources.

Journal of psychiatric research·2026
Same author

Identification of an intrusive-hypervigilant phenotype of posttraumatic stress symptoms with unique stress peptide and amygdala functional connectivity profiles.

Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology·2026
Same author

Depression and Anxiety Associate With Adverse Cardiovascular Events via Neural, Autonomic, and Inflammatory Pathways.

Circulation. Cardiovascular imaging·2025

Area of Science:

  • Neuroimaging
  • Psychiatry
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating condition with complex neurobiological underpinnings.
  • The last decade has seen significant advancements in understanding brain alterations in PTSD.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review neuroimaging findings on the amygdala, medial prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus in PTSD.
  • To correlate these structural and functional changes with PTSD symptom severity.

Main Methods:

  • Review of neuroimaging research over the past decade.
  • Analysis of studies examining amygdala, medial prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus in PTSD patients.

Main Results:

  • Heightened amygdala responsivity in PTSD, positively correlated with symptom severity.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Reduced medial prefrontal cortex volume and hyporesponsivity, inversely correlated with symptom severity.
  • Diminished volumes and integrity of the hippocampus in PTSD.

    • Conclusions:

    • Neuroimaging highlights key structural and functional brain abnormalities in PTSD.
    • These alterations in the amygdala, medial prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus are linked to PTSD pathology and symptom severity.