Cited by 49Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ResearchTraumatic Brain Injury ResearchMemory and Neural Mechanisms

Relationship of Hippocampal Volumes and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms Over Early Posttrauma Periods

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Xie, Hong, Claycomb Erwin, Meredith, Elhai, Jon D., Wall, John T., Tamburrino, Marijo B., Brickman, Kristopher R., Kaminski, Brian, McLean, Samuel A. +2 more·2018·Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging

Abstract

Background Smaller hippocampal volume is associated with more severe posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms years after traumatic experiences. Posttraumatic stress symptoms appear early following trauma, but the relationship between hippocampal volume and PTSD symptom severity during early posttrauma periods is not well understood. It is possible that the inverse relationship between hippocampal volume and PTSD symptom severity is already present soon after trauma. To test this possibility, we prospectively examined the association between hippocampal volumes and severity of PTSD symptoms within weeks to months after trauma due to a motor vehicle collision. Methods Structural magnetic resonance imaging scans of 44 survivors were collected about 2 weeks and again at 3 months after a motor vehicle collision to measure hippocampal volumes. The PTSD Checklist was used to evaluate PTSD symptoms at each scan time. Full (n = 5) or partial (n = 6) PTSD was evaluated using the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale at 3 months. Results Left hippocampal volumes at both time points negatively correlated with PTSD Checklist scores, and with subscores for re-experiencing symptoms at 3 months. Left hippocampal volumes at 3 months also negatively correlated with hyperarousal symptoms at 3 months. Finally, neither left nor right hippocampal volumes significantly changed between 2 weeks and 3 months posttrauma. Conclusions The results suggest that small hippocampal volume at early posttrauma weeks is associated with increased risk for PTSD development. Furthermore, the inverse relationship between hippocampal volume and PTSD symptoms at 3 months did not arise from posttrauma shifts in hippocampal volume between 2 weeks and 3 months after trauma.

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  • fMRI on a sample of 44 people who had survived a traffic accident showed a correlation between lower hippocampal volumes assessed in post-seizure weeks and increased risk for PTSD development.

    “The results of fMRI on the sample of 44 people who had survived a traffic accident, showed a correlation between lower hippocampal volumes assessed in post-seizure weeks, and increased risk for PTSD development (Xie et al., 2017).”

    From Neuroimaging research in posttraumatic stress disorder – Focus on amygdala, hippocampus and prefrontal cortex (2019) · cites this paper as Xie et al., 2017

    The Abstract Methods report structural MRI of 44 motor-vehicle-collision survivors about two weeks and three months after the crash. The Conclusion says early left hippocampal volume may predict later PTSD symptom severity. The claim incorrectly calls the imaging fMRI and the period “post-seizure”; it also describes increased risk of developing PTSD more strongly than the reported association with symptoms warrants. (LLM, conf=0.90)

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Research works printed but not linked: 4

  1. [3]Swedish Council on Health Technology Assessment 2005 SBU Systematic Review Summaries Treatment of Anxiety Disorders: A Systematic Review Stockholm Swedish Council on Health Technology Assessment (SBU) 28876726
  2. [9]Logue MW van Rooij SJH Dennis EL Davis SL Hayes JP Stevens JS Smaller Hippocampal Volume in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Multi-Site ENIGMA-PGC Study Biol Psychiatry In press PMC5951719 29217296
  3. [16]Vythilingam M Luckenbaugh DA Lam T Morgan CA 3rd Lipschitz D Charney DS 2005 Smaller head of the hippocampus in Gulf War-related posttraumatic stress disorder Psychiatry Res 139 89 99 15967648
  4. [35]Fischl B 2012 FreeSurfer NeuroImage 62 774 781 22248573 PMC3685476

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Authors
Xie, H., Claycomb Erwin, M., Elhai, J. D., Wall, J. T., Tamburrino, M. B., Brickman, K. R., Kaminski, B., McLean, S. A., Liberzon, I., & Wang, X.
Affiliations
  • University of Toledo (US)
  • ProMedica Toledo Hospital (US)
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US)
  • University of Michigan (US)
Corresponding author
Wang, Xin
Venue
Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2018-11
Volume
3
Issue
11
Pages
968-975
ISSN
2451-9022 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2775792590
Cited by
49
References
56
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 2
FWCI
2.71
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Biological Psychiatry Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
National Institutes of Health (R21MH098198-02, R01MH110483-01A1)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Traumatic Brain Injury Research
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
Keywords
hippocampal volume, post-traumatic stress disorder, traffic accidents, re-experiencing symptoms, hyperarousal symptoms, traumatic brain injury, hippocampal atrophy, PTSD risk
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Depressive Disorder, Major, Major Depressive Disorder, Female, Hippocampus, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Middle Aged, Organ Size, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Temporal Lobe, Time Factors, Survivors, Young Adult

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