Neural circuitry of PTSD with or without mild traumatic brain injury: a meta-analysis

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) often occur together. Parsing out the unique and overlapping effects of these conditions on the brain, can inform the selection of appropriate treatments. Although recent studies indicate that warfighters in Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom are at a high risk for PTSD and mTBI, there is a dearth of research directly comparing their neural correlates. In this paper, we briefly discuss these conditions and supply two meta-analyses of the relevant functional magnetic resonance imaging studies conducted to date. By looking at the overlap in these analyses, we suggest that the middle frontal gyrus may be an appropriate area for future investigations aimed at disentangling PTSD and mTBI. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled 'Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder'.