Amygdala volume changes in posttraumatic stress disorder in a large case-controlled veterans group.
Abstract
CONTEXT: Smaller hippocampal volumes are well established in posttraumatic stress
disorder (PTSD), but the relatively few studies of amygdala volume in PTSD have produced
equivocal results. OBJECTIVE: To assess a large cohort of recent military veterans
with PTSD and trauma-exposed control subjects, with sufficient power to perform a
definitive assessment of the effect of PTSD on volumetric changes in the amygdala
and hippocampus and of the contribution of illness duration, trauma load, and depressive
symptoms. DESIGN: Case-controlled design with structural magnetic resonance imaging
and clinical diagnostic assessments. We controlled statistically for the important
potential confounds of alcohol use, depression, and medication use. SETTING: Durham
Veterans Affairs Medical Center, which is located in proximity to major military bases.
PATIENTS: Ambulatory patients (n = 200) recruited from a registry of military service
members and veterans serving after September 11, 2001, including a group with current
PTSD (n = 99) and a trauma-exposed comparison group without PTSD (n = 101). MAIN OUTCOME
MEASURE: Amygdala and hippocampal volumes computed from automated segmentation of
high-resolution structural 3-T magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS: Smaller volume
was demonstrated in the PTSD group compared with the non-PTSD group for the left amygdala
(P = .002), right amygdala (P = .01), and left hippocampus (P = .02) but not for the
right hippocampus (P = .25). Amygdala volumes were not associated with PTSD chronicity,
trauma load, or severity of depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: These results provide
clear evidence of an association between a smaller amygdala volume and PTSD. The lack
of correlation between trauma load or illness chronicity and amygdala volume suggests
that a smaller amygdala represents a vulnerability to developing PTSD or the lack
of a dose-response relationship with amygdala volume. Our results may trigger a renewed
impetus for investigating structural differences in the amygdala, its genetic determinants,
its environmental modulators, and the possibility that it reflects an intrinsic vulnerability
to PTSD.
Type
Journal articleSubject
AdultAfghan Campaign 2001-
Amygdala
Case-Control Studies
Combat Disorders
Dominance, Cerebral
Female
Hippocampus
Humans
Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted
Iraq War, 2003-2011
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Middle Aged
Military Personnel
North Carolina
Organ Size
Reference Values
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
Veterans
Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/10976Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2012.50Publication Info
Morey, Rajendra A; Gold, Andrea L; LaBar, Kevin S; Beall, Shannon K; Brown, Vanessa
M; Haswell, Courtney C; ... Mid-Atlantic MIRECC Workgroup (2012). Amygdala volume changes in posttraumatic stress disorder in a large case-controlled
veterans group. Arch Gen Psychiatry, 69(11). pp. 1169-1178. 10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2012.50. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/10976.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.
Collections
More Info
Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Kevin S. LaBar
Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience
My research focuses on understanding how emotional events modulate cognitive processes
in the human brain. We aim to identify brain regions that encode the emotional properties
of sensory stimuli, and to show how these regions interact with neural systems supporting
social cognition, executive control, and learning and memory. To achieve this goal,
we use a variety of cognitive neuroscience techniques in human subject populations.
These include psychophysiological monitoring, functional magnetic
Rajendra A. Morey
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.
Henry Ryan Wagner II
Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
My research career into neurobiology and mental health spans two distinct phases.
The first includes doctoral training at the University of New Mexico in psychology
and neurobiology with a major area of emphasis in behavioral neurobiology and two
minor areas of emphasis in learning and memory and statistics and experimental design.
Doctoral training was subsequently supplemented with postdoctoral study in neuropharmacology
at Duke University focusing on brain monoamine systems.&nb
Alphabetical list of authors with Scholars@Duke profiles.

Articles written by Duke faculty are made available through the campus open access policy. For more information see: Duke Open Access Policy
Rights for Collection: Scholarly Articles
Works are deposited here by their authors, and represent their research and opinions, not that of Duke University. Some materials and descriptions may include offensive content. More info