Post-traumatic stress symptoms correlate with smaller subgenual cingulate, caudate and insula volumes in unmedicated combat veterans
Open accessAbstract
Prior studies have examined differences in brain volume between patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and control subjects. Convergent findings include smaller hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex volumes in PTSD. However, post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) exist on a spectrum, and neural changes may occur beyond the diagnostic threshold of PTSD. We examined the relationship between PTSS and gray matter among combat-exposed U.S. military veterans. Structural brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was obtained on 28 combat veterans from Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom. PTSS were assessed using the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS). Thirteen subjects met criteria for PTSD. Subjects were unmedicated, and free of major comorbid psychiatric disorders. Images were analyzed using voxel-based morphometry, and regressed against the total CAPS score and trauma load. Images were subsequently analyzed by diagnosis of PTSD vs. non-PTSD. CAPS scores were inversely correlated with volumes of the subgenual cingulate (sgACC), caudate, hypothalamus, insula, and left middle temporal gyrus (MTG). Group contrast revealed smaller sgACC, caudate, hypothalamus, left insula, left MTG, and right MFG in the PTSD group. PTSS are associated with abnormalities in limbic structures that may underlie the pathophysiology of PTSD. These abnormalities exist on a continuum with PTSS, beyond a diagnosis of PTSD.
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Other studies, including one meta-analysis, failed to identify amygdala volumetric abnormalities associated with PTSD.
“Other studies including one meta-analysis failed to identify amygdala volumetric abnormalities associated with PTSD (Fennema-Notestine et al., 2002;Herringa et al., 2012;Sui et al., 2010).”
From Neuroimaging research in posttraumatic stress disorder – Focus on amygdala, hippocampus and prefrontal cortex (2019) · cites this paper as Herringa et al., 2012
A smaller study of 28 veterans found smaller subgenual cingulate volumes compared to controls, in addition to other limbic region structural abnormalities.
“A study of 85 veterans suggested decreased structural volumes of vmPFC and ACC in those with PTSD compared to controls [153] and a smaller study of 28 veterans found smaller subgenual cingulate volumes compared to controls, in addition to a number of other limbic region structural abnormalities [154].”
From Prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and threat processing: implications for PTSD (2022) · cites this paper as [154]
Caudate and insular volumetric reductions correlate with PTSD severity.
“caudate and insular volumetric reductions correlate with PTSD severity (Herringa et al., 2012).”
From Cortico-striatal-thalamic loop circuits of the salience network: A central pathway in psychiatric disease and treatment (2016) · cites this paper as Herringa et al., 2012
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References 58 · Cited by 143
Research works printed but not linked: 1
- First MB Spitzer RL Gibbon M Williams JBW 11 2002 Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR Axis I Disorders, Research Version, Patient Edition. (SCID-I/P) Biometrics Research, New York State Psychiatric Institute New York
- Authors
- Herringa, R., Phillips, M., Almeida, J., Insana, S., & Germain, A.
- Affiliations
- University of Wisconsin–Madison (US)
- University of Pittsburgh (US)
- Corresponding author
- Herringa, Ryan
- Venue
- Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2012-08
- Volume
- 203
- Issue
- 2-3
- Pages
- 139-145
- ISSN
- 0925-4927 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC3466380
- OpenAlex
- W2041879673
- Cited by
- 143
- References
- 58
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 16 · 2017: 18 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 15 · 2014: 12 · 2013: 7
- FWCI
- 12.31
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Psychiatry Research Neuroimaging (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- ORCA Online Research @Cardiff (Cardiff University) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (UL1TR000005, 5r01mh076971-05)
- National Institute of Mental Health (MH088913, R01-MH076971, MH076971, RC1MH088913, MH083035, R21MH083035)
- National Center for Research Resources (UL1RR024153)
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Traumatic Brain Injury Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
- Keywords
- posttraumatic stress symptoms, post-traumatic stress disorder, combat veterans, subgenual anterior cingulate cortex, caudate nucleus, insula, hypothalamus, middle temporal gyrus, gray matter volume, limbic system, trauma exposure
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Mental Disorders, Brain Mapping, Caudate Nucleus, Cerebral Cortex, Combat Disorders, Dominance, Cerebral, Female, Gyrus Cinguli, Humans, Hypothalamus, Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted, Life Change Events, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Organ Size, Reference Values, Statistics as Topic, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Temporal Lobe, Veterans, Comorbidity, Iraq War, 2003-2011
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