Changes in brain structure and regional cerebral blood flow in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder after...

Previous MRI studies have shown structural and functional brain changes in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, few studies have focused on brain changes between pre- and postcognitive processing therapy (CPT).

Twenty patients with PTSD participated in this study. They underwent MRI before and after 16-week of CPT, and the severity of illness was assessed using the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS-5) and the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). Changes in regional gray matter volume, cerebral blood flow, and regional microstructure of the white matter following CPT were evaluated using MRI.

The clinical severity of PTSD improved after CPT. There was a significant increase in fractional anisotropy in the bilateral white matter regions adjacent to the insulae and in the right periaqueductal gray area after CPT. We also found an increase in the regional cerebral blood flow in the right frontal region at the trend level.

We detected some increases in MRI indices following treatment. These regions were frequently implicated in PTSD-related changes, suggesting that the recovery of these indices could be a biomarker for the prediction of the responsibility for the treatment of PTSD.