The Association of PTSD Symptom Severity With Localized Hippocampus and Amygdala Abnormalities
Background The hippocampus and amygdala have been repeatedly implicated in the psychopathology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). While numerous structural neuroimaging studies examined these two structures in PTSD, these analyses have largely been limited to volumetric measures. Recent advanc...
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doaj-d65d8399c6b94f46825a546bdde3a8472020-11-25T02:48:08ZengSAGE PublishingChronic Stress2470-54702017-08-01110.1177/2470547017724069The Association of PTSD Symptom Severity With Localized Hippocampus and Amygdala AbnormalitiesTeddy J. Akiki0Christopher L. Averill1Kristen M. Wrocklage2Brian Schweinsburg3J. Cobb Scott4Brenda Martini5Lynnette A. Averill6Steven M. Southwick7John H. Krystal8Chadi G. Abdallah9Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USADepartment of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USADepartment of Psychology, Gaylord Specialty Healthcare, Wallingford, CT, USADepartment of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USAVISN4 Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Philadelphia VA Medical Center, PA, USADepartment of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USADepartment of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USADepartment of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USADepartment of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USADepartment of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USABackground The hippocampus and amygdala have been repeatedly implicated in the psychopathology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). While numerous structural neuroimaging studies examined these two structures in PTSD, these analyses have largely been limited to volumetric measures. Recent advances in vertex-based neuroimaging methods have made it possible to identify specific locations of subtle morphometric changes within a structure of interest. Methods In this cross-sectional study, we used high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging to examine the relationship between PTSD symptomatology, as measured using the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale for the DSM-IV, and structural shape of the hippocampus and amygdala using vertex-wise shape analyses in a group of combat-exposed U.S. Veterans (N = 69). Results Following correction for multiple comparisons and controlling for age and cranial volume, we found that participants with more severe PTSD symptoms showed an indentation in the anterior half of the right hippocampus and an indentation in the dorsal region of the right amygdala (corresponding to the centromedial amygdala). Post hoc analysis using stepwise regression suggest that among PTSD symptom clusters, arousal symptoms explain most of the variance in the hippocampal abnormality, whereas reexperiencing symptoms explain most of the variance in the amygdala abnormality. Conclusion The results provide evidence of localized abnormalities in the anterior hippocampus and centromedial amygdala in combat-exposed U.S. Veterans suffering from PTSD symptoms. This novel finding provides a more fine-grained analysis of structural abnormalities in PTSD and may be informative for understanding the neurobiology of the disorder.https://doi.org/10.1177/2470547017724069 |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Teddy J. Akiki Christopher L. Averill Kristen M. Wrocklage Brian Schweinsburg J. Cobb Scott Brenda Martini Lynnette A. Averill Steven M. Southwick John H. Krystal Chadi G. Abdallah |
spellingShingle |
Teddy J. Akiki Christopher L. Averill Kristen M. Wrocklage Brian Schweinsburg J. Cobb Scott Brenda Martini Lynnette A. Averill Steven M. Southwick John H. Krystal Chadi G. Abdallah The Association of PTSD Symptom Severity With Localized Hippocampus and Amygdala Abnormalities Chronic Stress |
author_facet |
Teddy J. Akiki Christopher L. Averill Kristen M. Wrocklage Brian Schweinsburg J. Cobb Scott Brenda Martini Lynnette A. Averill Steven M. Southwick John H. Krystal Chadi G. Abdallah |
author_sort |
Teddy J. Akiki |
title |
The Association of PTSD Symptom Severity With Localized Hippocampus and Amygdala Abnormalities |
title_short |
The Association of PTSD Symptom Severity With Localized Hippocampus and Amygdala Abnormalities |
title_full |
The Association of PTSD Symptom Severity With Localized Hippocampus and Amygdala Abnormalities |
title_fullStr |
The Association of PTSD Symptom Severity With Localized Hippocampus and Amygdala Abnormalities |
title_full_unstemmed |
The Association of PTSD Symptom Severity With Localized Hippocampus and Amygdala Abnormalities |
title_sort |
association of ptsd symptom severity with localized hippocampus and amygdala abnormalities |
publisher |
SAGE Publishing |
series |
Chronic Stress |
issn |
2470-5470 |
publishDate |
2017-08-01 |
description |
Background The hippocampus and amygdala have been repeatedly implicated in the psychopathology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). While numerous structural neuroimaging studies examined these two structures in PTSD, these analyses have largely been limited to volumetric measures. Recent advances in vertex-based neuroimaging methods have made it possible to identify specific locations of subtle morphometric changes within a structure of interest. Methods In this cross-sectional study, we used high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging to examine the relationship between PTSD symptomatology, as measured using the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale for the DSM-IV, and structural shape of the hippocampus and amygdala using vertex-wise shape analyses in a group of combat-exposed U.S. Veterans (N = 69). Results Following correction for multiple comparisons and controlling for age and cranial volume, we found that participants with more severe PTSD symptoms showed an indentation in the anterior half of the right hippocampus and an indentation in the dorsal region of the right amygdala (corresponding to the centromedial amygdala). Post hoc analysis using stepwise regression suggest that among PTSD symptom clusters, arousal symptoms explain most of the variance in the hippocampal abnormality, whereas reexperiencing symptoms explain most of the variance in the amygdala abnormality. Conclusion The results provide evidence of localized abnormalities in the anterior hippocampus and centromedial amygdala in combat-exposed U.S. Veterans suffering from PTSD symptoms. This novel finding provides a more fine-grained analysis of structural abnormalities in PTSD and may be informative for understanding the neurobiology of the disorder. |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1177/2470547017724069 |
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