Amygdala, Hippocampus, and Ventral Medial Prefrontal Cortex Volumes Differ in Maltreated Youth with and without Chronic Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.
Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is considered a disorder of recovery where individuals
fail to learn and retain extinction of the traumatic fear response. In maltreated
youth, PTSD is common, chronic, and associated with comorbidity. Studies of extinction-related
structural volumes (amygdala, hippocampus, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and ventral
medial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC)) and this stress diathesis, in maltreated youth were
not previously investigated. In this cross-sectional study, neuroanatomical volumes
associated with extinction in maltreated youth with PTSD (N=31), without PTSD (N=32),
and in non-maltreated healthy volunteers (n=57) were examined using magnetic resonance
imaging. Groups were sociodemographically similar. Participants underwent extensive
assessments for strict inclusion/exclusion criteria and DSM-IV disorders. Maltreated
youth with PTSD demonstrated decreased right vmPFC volumes compared with both maltreated
youth without PTSD and non-maltreated controls. Maltreated youth without PTSD demonstrated
larger left amygdala and right hippocampal volumes compared with maltreated youth
with PTSD and non-maltreated control youth. PTSD symptoms inversely correlated with
right and left hippocampal and left amygdala volumes. Confirmatory masked voxel base
morphometry analyses demonstrated greater medial orbitofrontal cortex gray matter
intensity in controls than maltreated youth with PTSD. Volumetric results were not
influenced by psychopathology or maltreatment variables. We identified volumetric
differences in extinction-related structures between maltreated youth with PTSD from
those without PTSD. Alterations of the vmPFC may be one mechanism that mediates the
pathway from PTSD to comorbidity. Further longitudinal work is needed to determine
neurobiological factors related to chronic and persistent PTSD, and to PTSD resilience
despite maltreatment.
Type
Journal articleSubject
AdolescentAmygdala
Child
Child Abuse
Chronic Disease
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Functional Laterality
Hippocampus
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Organ Size
Prefrontal Cortex
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/10963Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1038/npp.2015.205Publication Info
Morey, Rajendra A; Haswell, Courtney C; Hooper, Stephen R; & De Bellis, Michael D (2016). Amygdala, Hippocampus, and Ventral Medial Prefrontal Cortex Volumes Differ in Maltreated
Youth with and without Chronic Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Neuropsychopharmacology, 41(3). pp. 791-801. 10.1038/npp.2015.205. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/10963.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Michael Damingo De Bellis
Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Rajendra A. Morey
Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Research in my lab is focused on brain changes associated with posttraumatic stress
disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), and other neuropsychiatric disorders.
We apply several advanced methods for understanding brain function including functional
MRI, structural MRI, diffusion tensor imaging, and genetic effects.
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