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Developing Neuroimaging Phenotypes of the Default Mode Network in PTSD: Integrating the Resting State, Working Memory, and Structural Connectivity
Published on: July 1, 2014
Voxel-based morphometric gray matter correlates of posttraumatic stress disorder
Mareen Weber1, William D S Killgore, Isabelle M Rosso
1McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA. mweber@mclean.harvard.edu
Journal of Anxiety Disorders
|June 11, 2013
Summary
This study found that greater posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) severity correlated with increased gray matter in the amygdala-hippocampal complex. PTSD symptom severity is linked to structural brain differences.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Neuroimaging
Background:
- Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is linked to functional brain abnormalities in key regions like the hippocampus, amygdala, and medial prefrontal cortex.
- Evidence linking structural brain abnormalities to PTSD severity and symptom burden remains limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between gray matter volume and PTSD symptom severity.
- To explore structural variations in the brain associated with different PTSD symptom clusters.
Main Methods:
- Utilized voxel-based morphometry (VBM) on structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data.
- Assessed 15 individuals diagnosed with PTSD using the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS).
Main Results:
- Increased gray matter volume in the right amygdala-hippocampal complex was associated with greater overall PTSD severity and avoidance/numbing symptoms.
- Reduced gray matter volume in the left superior medial frontal gyrus correlated with increased hyper-arousal symptoms.
Conclusions:
- Findings support neurocircuitry models of PTSD, indicating structural variations in a distributed neural network.
- Gray matter volume differences in specific brain regions are associated with PTSD symptom severity and presentation.
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