Effects of childhood trauma on brain gray matter volume in patients with panic disorder

Empirical evidence suggests that childhood trauma can significantly affect the brain structure. However, the existing research has predominantly focused on childhood abuse, leaving the effects of childhood neglect on individuals with panic disorders (PD) largely unexplored. This study aimed to investigate the effects of physical neglect on gray matter structure in patients with panic disorders.

Volumes of gray matter in the whole brain were measured using resting-state resonance imaging scans obtained from 85 patients with PD and 57 healthy controls (HCs). Cluster analysis was performed on the two groups based on the notably divergent trauma categories of physical neglect. Differences in gray matter volume between patients with PD and HCs were identified using optimized voxel-based morphometry. Finally, a hierarchical linear model was used to test the effects of physical neglect on gray matter volume in the brain.

Cluster analysis identified four distinct physical neglect phenotypes: patients with high level of physical neglect (PD_HPN), patients with low level of physical neglect (PD_LPN), healthy subjects with high level of physical neglect (HC_HPN), and healthy subjects with low level of physical neglect (HC_LPN). Compared to HCs, patients with PD showed decreased gray matter volume in the left middle frontal gyrus. Compared to the HC_LPN group, both the HC_HPN and PD_HPN groups showed significantly reduced gray matter volumes. The HC_HPN group exhibited a reduction in the triangular region of the right inferior frontal gyrus, and the PD_HPN group showed reduced gray matter volume in the precuneus. Furthermore, physical neglect exerts unique effects on brain gray matter volume beyond psychopathological symptoms.

Physical neglect may be an important risk factor for developing PD symptoms.