Hippocampal volume and declarative memory function in combat-related PTSD

The proposition that declarative memory deficits are systematically related to smaller hippocampal volume was tested in a relatively large sample (n = 95) of U.S. military veterans with and without combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder. This correlative analysis was extended by including multiple measures of verbal and visual declarative memory and multiple memory-relevant regional brain volumes that had been shown to exhibit main effects of PTSD in prior work. Small-to-moderate effects were observed on verbal declarative memory in line with a recent meta-analysis; nevertheless, little or no evidence of systematic linear covariation between memory measures and brain volumes was observed. (JINS, 2009, 15, 830-839.

Right anterior cingulate cortical volume covaries with respiratory sinus arrhythmia magnitude in combat veterans

Existing data suggest anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) plays a role in autonomic regulation. In persons with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), autonomic regulation appears impaired and smaller mean ACC volume has been reported. This study examined relationships between ACC volume and the magnitude of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) in 77 U.S. combat veterans at rest, 40 of whom met criteria for PTSD. RSA magnitude did not differ in combat survivors with and without PTSD, which contradicts studies comparing civilians with PTSD to nontraumatized controls. RSA magnitude was positively correlated with right but not left hemisphere ACC volume. This finding was statistically independent of the presence or absence of PTSD

Early adversity and combat exposure interact to influence anterior cingulate cortex volume in combat veterans

Childhood and combat trauma have been observed to interact to influence amygdala volume in a sample of U.S. military veterans with and without PTSD. This interaction was assessed in a second, functionally-related fear system component, the pregenual and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, using the same sample and modeling approach

Smaller global and regional cortical volume in combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder

CONTEXT: Two sets of findings predict smaller cerebral cortical gray matter volume in adult posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Measures of intracranial tissue volume and cerebral tissue volume have been observed to be smaller in adolescents with maltreatment-related PTSD. Second, lower intelligence, a risk factor for PTSD, is associated with smaller cerebral tissue volumes. Nevertheless, to our knowledge, only 1 study has observed globally smaller cerebral tissue volume in adults with PTSD. OBJECTIVES: To apply a recently developed method providing improved estimates of cortical volume and to estimate associations between adult PTSD and selected regional cortical volumes not yet investigated. DESIGN: Between-group comparison of global and regional cerebral cortical volumes in adult patients with combat-related PTSD and controls. SETTING: Two Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers with large inpatient and outpatient PTSD catchments. PARTICIPANTS: Ninety-seven combat-exposed veterans of the Vietnam and Persian Gulf wars. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Global and regional cortical volumes determined using the FreeSurfer software program and the Desikan et al parcellation (modified). RESULTS: Cerebral cortical volume, thickness, and area were observed to be smaller in association with adult combat-related PTSD. Robust associations were observed between PTSD and smaller cortical volumes in the parahippocampal gyrus, superior temporal cortex, lateral orbital frontal cortex, and pars orbitalis of the inferior frontal gyrus. CONCLUSIONS: Cerebral cortical volume, thickness, and area may be smaller in adult chronic severe PTSD; however, the extracted structural variables did not mediate relations between intelligence and PTSD. The 4 regions exhibiting especially smaller cortical volumes in this sample share involvement in mechanisms subserving "top-down" facilitation of the identification of objects and words. Compromise of these regions may result in difficulty in relearning pretrauma schemata for interpreting the civilian physical and social environments

Consistency of Retrospective Reporting About Exposure to Traumatic Events 1

Lifetime exposure to traumatic events was assessed by means of a multimethod protocol applied to 76 male military veterans. Consistency of retrospective reporting was determined for physical and sexual assault and abuse, accidents, disasters, combat and warzone experiences, serious illness or injury, and hazardous duty. Findings demonstrate that respondents are generally consistent in reporting traumatic events, although the majority report more events upon reevaluation. Reporting about traumatic events shows some variation as a function of the life epoch in which events occurred, whether they were directly or indirectly experienced, and the type of trauma involved. Discussion addresses memory-related processes triggered by trauma evaluation or tied to characteristics of events themselves as potential sources of inconsistency

Catechol-O-methyltransferase Val158Met polymorphism moderates anterior cingulate volume in posttraumatic stress disorder

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with structural and functional compromise of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), which may in turn be associated with impairment of its ability to regulate the amygdala. The Val158Met polymorphism in the catechol-O-methyltransferase gene, which substantially influences dopamine inactivation in the frontal lobe in general and in ACC in particular, may moderate ACC integrity in PTSD