Thinner prefrontal cortex in veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder
Elbert Geuze1, Herman G M Westenberg, Armin Heinecke
1Research Centre, Military Mental Healthcare, Ministry of Defence, Utrecht, The Netherlands. s.g.geuze@umcutrecht.nl <s.g.geuze@umcutrecht.nl>
Neuroimage
|May 1, 2008
Summary
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is linked to reduced cortical thickness in specific frontal and temporal brain regions. This structural change in veterans with PTSD may explain observed memory deficits.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Psychiatry
- Cognitive Neuroscience
Background:
- Previous research on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) primarily focused on medial temporal lobe alterations.
- Cortical thickness analysis using advanced computational methods has not been extensively applied to PTSD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate cortical thickness differences in male veterans with and without PTSD.
- To explore the relationship between cortical thickness, memory function, and PTSD.
Main Methods:
- Utilized MRI scans and cortex-based alignment for structural analysis.
- Calculated individual cortical thickness maps for specific frontal and temporal regions of interest.
- Assessed IQ and memory performance in 25 male veterans with PTSD and 25 matched controls.
Main Results:
- Veterans with PTSD exhibited reduced cortical thickness in bilateral superior frontal gyri, bilateral middle frontal gyri, left inferior frontal gyrus, and left superior temporal gyrus.
- Veterans with PTSD performed significantly worse on memory tests compared to controls.
- Cortical thickness correlated with memory in controls but not in the PTSD group.
Conclusions:
- Structural neuroimaging reveals significant cortical thinning in frontal and temporal regions in veterans with PTSD.
- Cortical thinning may underlie the observed memory impairments in PTSD.
- This study highlights the utility of advanced computational neuroimaging techniques in understanding PTSD pathophysiology.
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