کد مقاله | کد نشریه | سال انتشار | مقاله انگلیسی | نسخه تمام متن |
---|---|---|---|---|
335088 | 546772 | 2011 | 8 صفحه PDF | دانلود رایگان |
The goal of this study was to determine whether posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was associated with an increase in time-related decline in macrostructural brain volume and whether these changes were associated with accelerated cognitive decline. To quantify brain structure, three-dimensional T1−weighted MRI scans were performed at baseline and again after a minimum of 24 months in 25 patients with PTSD (PTSD+) and 22 controls (PTSD−). Longitudinal changes in brain volume were measured using deformation morphometry. For the group as a whole, PTSD+ patients did not show significant ongoing brain atrophy compared to PTSD−. PTSD+ patients were then subgrouped into those with decreasing or increasing symptoms. We found little evidence for brain markers of accelerated atrophy in PTSD+ veterans whose symptoms improved over time, with only a small left parietal region showing greater ongoing tissue loss than PTSD−. PTSD patients whose symptoms increased over time showed accelerated atrophy throughout the brain, particularly brainstem and frontal and temporal lobes. Lastly, for the sample as a whole, greater rates of brain atrophy were associated with greater rates of decline in verbal memory and delayed facial recognition.
Journal: Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging - Volume 193, Issue 2, 30 August 2011, Pages 93–100