Amygdala and hippocampus volumes are differently affected by childhood trauma in patients with bipolar disorders and healthy controls
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Volumetric studies on deep gray matter structures in bipolar disorder (BP) have reported contrasting results. Childhood trauma, a relevant environmental stressor for BP, could account for the variability of the results, modulating differences in the amygdala and hippocampus in patients with BP compared with healthy controls (HC). Our study aimed to test this hypothesis. METHODS: We assessed 105 outpatients, diagnosed with bipolar disorder type I (BP-I) or bipolar disorder type II (BP-II) according to DSM-IV-TR criteria, and 113 HC subjects. History of childhood trauma was obtained using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). High-resolution magnetic resonance imaging was performed on all subjects and volumes of the amygdala, hippocampus, nucleus accumbens, caudate, pallidum, putamen, and thalamus were measured using FreeSurfer. RESULTS: Patients with BP showed a global reduction of deep gray matter volumes compared to HCs. However, childhood trauma modulated the impact of the diagnosis specifically on the amygdala and hippocampus. Childhood trauma was associated with bilateral decreased volumes in HCs and increased volumes in patients with BP. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that childhood trauma may have a different effect in health and disease on volumes of gray matter in the amygdala and hippocampus, which are brain areas specifically involved in response to stress and emotion processing.
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Childhood trauma is associated with increased amygdala gray matter volume in patients with BD compared to those without trauma.
“Interestingly, Childhood trauma is associated with increased amygdala gray matter volume patients with BD compared to those without trauma (111).”
From Childhood Trauma, the HPA Axis and Psychiatric Illnesses: A Targeted Literature Synthesis (2022) · cites this paper as [111]
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Childhood Trauma, the HPA Axis and Psychiatric Illnesses: A Targeted Literature Synthesis
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“Interestingly, Childhood trauma is associated with increased amygdala gray matter volume patients with BD compared to those without trauma (111).”
Background
- Authors
- Janiri, D., Sani, G., Rossi, P. D., Piras, F., Iorio, M., Banaj, N., Giuseppin, G., Spinazzola, E., Maggiora, M., Ambrosi, E., Simonetti, A., & Spalletta, G.
- Affiliations
- Sapienza University of Rome (IT)
- Tufts University (US)
- Azienda Ospedaliera Sant'Andrea (IT)
- Centro Ricerche Enrico Fermi (IT)
- Fondazione Santa Lucia (IT)
- Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (IT)
- Baylor College of Medicine (US)
- Corresponding author
- Spalletta, Gianfranco
- ORCID
- Venue
- Bipolar Disorders
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2017-07-12
- Volume
- 19
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 353-362
- ISSN
- 1398-5647 (ISSN-L)
- 1399-5618
- OpenAlex
- W2734871544
- Cited by
- 99
- References
- 13
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 30 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 7
- FWCI
- 6.97
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Bipolar Disorders (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- IRIS Research product catalog (Sapienza University of Rome) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Bipolar Disorder and Treatment
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Schizophrenia research and treatment
- Keywords
- bipolar disorder, childhood trauma, amygdala volume, hippocampal volume, deep gray matter, gray matter volume, nucleus accumbens, caudate nucleus, globus pallidus, putamen, thalamus, stress response, emotional processing, brain structure
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Aged, Amygdala, Bipolar Disorder, Female, Hippocampus, Humans, Interview, Psychological, Life Change Events, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Middle Aged, Organ Size, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Adult Survivors of Child Abuse
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