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Insular cortex involvement in declarative memory deficits in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder
Shulin Chen1, Lingjiang Li, Baihua Xu
1Department of Medical Psychology, the Seventh Hospital of Hangzhou, Zhejiang, PR China. shulinchen1990@gmail.com.
BMC Psychiatry
|June 23, 2009
Summary
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is linked to memory deficits. This study found reduced gray matter and brain activity in the insular cortex of PTSD patients, suggesting its role in memory impairment.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Hippocampus is linked to memory deficits in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- The insular cortex (IC) is implicated in declarative memory in healthy individuals.
- This study investigates the IC's role in PTSD-related declarative memory deficits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine structural and functional abnormalities of the insular cortex in PTSD patients.
- To determine if the insular cortex is involved in declarative memory deficits in PTSD.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were used.
- Twelve subjects with PTSD and 12 controls performed memory encoding and retrieval tasks.
- Voxel-based morphometry analyzed gray-matter volume; Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM2) analyzed brain activation.
Main Results:
- PTSD subjects showed significantly reduced gray matter volume bilaterally in the insular cortex compared to controls.
- The PTSD group exhibited lower insular cortex activation during memory encoding and retrieval tasks.
- These findings indicate structural and functional alterations in the insular cortex in PTSD.
Conclusions:
- The insular cortex displays structural and functional abnormalities in patients with PTSD.
- Reduced gray-matter volume and function in the insular cortex may contribute to declarative memory deficits in PTSD.
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