Structural white and gray matter differences in a large sample of patients with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and a healthy and trauma-exposed control group: Diffusion tensor imaging and region-based morphometry

Siehl, Sebastian; Wicking, Manon; Pohlack, Sebastian T.; Winkelmann, Tobias; Zidda, Francesca; Steiger-White, Frauke; King, John A.; Burgess, Neil; Flor, Herta; Nees, Frauke

doi:10.1016/j.nicl.2020.102424

Cited by 23 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 55 publications

(74 reference statements)

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“…Reduced FA in these tracts suggest compromised structural connectivity which, in light of PTSD-symptomatology, concur with their general implication in top-down regulation of negative mood (UF) ( Milad and Quirk, 2012 ), executive control and memory function (CB) ( Bubb et al, 2018 , Bubb et al, 2017 ) and higher cortical functions, such as attention, language and verbal learning (SLF) ( Nakajima et al, 2020 ). However, the results of DWI studies are still equivocal ( Dennis et al, 2019 ) with PTSD being associated with both increased and decreased FA, or not at all ( Siehl et al, 2020 , Siehl et al, 2018 ). Also, it is unclear if changes in WM occur across hemispheres or is predominantly lateralized ( Daniels et al, 2013 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

White matter diffusivity and its correlations to state measures of psychopathology in male refugees with posttraumatic stress disorder

Uldall

Lundell

Baaré

et al. 2022

NeuroImage: Clinical

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Highlights We investigated diffusivity of white matter fibre tracts in male refugees with PTSD. Tract-specific diffusion tensor metrics were extracted using an automated tract segmentation method. PTSD was associated with decreased fractional anisotropy (FA) in several tracts. State dependent measures of dissociations and avoidance scaled with FA.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

White matter diffusivity and its correlations to state measures of psychopathology in male refugees with posttraumatic stress disorder

Uldall

Lundell

Baaré

et al. 2022

NeuroImage: Clinical

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“…Another study indicated that white matter plasticity is an important factor in the development of anxiety disorders in general, and PTSD in particular. 28 One explanation for this finding may be that previous vascular injury to the cerebral white matter (a common occurrence in patients with stroke) acts as a promoting factor in the development of PTSD.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms After Stroke: The Effects of Anatomy and Coping Style

Assayag

Tene

Korczyn

et al. 2022

Stroke

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Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be triggered by life-threatening medical emergencies, such as stroke. Data suggest that up to 25% of stroke survivors will develop PTSD symptomatology, but little is known about predisposing factors. We sought to examine whether neuroimaging measures and coping styles are related to PTSD symptoms after stroke. Methods: Participants were survivors of first-ever, mild-moderate ischemic stroke, or transient ischemic attack from the TABASCO study (Tel Aviv Brain Acute Stroke Cohort). All participants underwent a 3T magnetic resonance imaging at baseline and were examined 6, 12, and 24 months thereafter, using neurological, neuropsychological, and functional evaluations. At baseline, coping styles were evaluated by a self-reported questionnaire. PTSD symptoms were assessed using the PTSD checklist. Data were available for 436 patients. Results: Forty-eight participants (11%) developed probable PTSD (PTSD checklist ≥44) during the first year after the stroke/transient ischemic attack. Stroke was more likely to cause PTSD than transient ischemic attack. Stroke severity, larger white matter lesion volume, and worse hippocampal connectivity were associated with PTSD severity, while infarct volume or location was not. In a multivariate analysis, high-anxious and defensive coping styles were associated with a 6.66-fold higher risk of developing poststroke PTSD ([95% CI, 2.08–21.34]; P <0.01) compared with low-anxious and repressive coping styles, after adjusting for age, education, stroke severity, brain atrophy, and depression. Conclusions: In our cohort, PTSD was a common sequela among stroke survivors. We suggest that risk factors for PTSD development include stroke severity, white matter damage, and premorbid coping styles. Early identification of at-risk patients is key to effective treatment.

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“…The T1-weighted images were preprocessed using the Computational Anatomy Toolbox (CAT12; http://www.neuro.uni-jena.de/cat) on Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM12; Wellcome Department of Imaging Neuroscience, London, UK) implemented in customized scripts in MATLAB R2016a (The MathWorks Inc., Natick, MA, USA). The preprocessing steps included spatial registration, segmentation into gray and white matter and CSF as well as bias correction of intensity non-uniformities following our previous study (13). We chose the Neuromorphometic atlas (provided by Neuromorphometrics, Inc., MA, USA; http://www.neuromorphometrics.com) for the definition of region of interests (ROIs).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Both regions are involved in cued and contextualized fear learning, show relative consistent volume reductions in PTSD samples, and exhibit stress-dependent alterations in animal studies (9)(10)(11)(12). Moreover, smaller local volumes have been reported for the insula and the medial prefrontal cortex (PFC) (6), including alterations in interhemispheric white matter tracts in the PFC (13). These regions play a key role in psychobiological models of PTSD (11,14).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neurostructural associations with traumatic experiences during child- and adulthood

Siehl

Sicorello

Herzog

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Background: Adverse experiences can lead to severe mental health problems such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) throughout the lifespan. In individuals with PTSD, both global and local brain volume reductions have been reported-especially in the amygdala and hippocampus-while the literature on childhood maltreatment suggests strong dependency on the timing of adverse events. In the present study, we pooled data from two studies to contrast effects of reported trauma-exposure during neurodevelopmentally sensitive periods in early life with trauma-exposure during adulthood. Methods: A total of 155 women were allocated into one of six age-matched groups according to timing of traumatization (childhood vs adulthood) and psychopathology (PTSD vs trauma-exposed healthy vs trauma-naive healthy). Volumes of amygdala and hippocampus were compared between these groups. Six additional exploratory regions of interest (ROI) were included based on a recent meta-analysis. Results: Amygdala volume was strongly dependent on timing of traumatization: Smaller amygdala volumes were observed in the childhood sample, while larger volumes were observed in the adulthood sample. Hippocampal volume comparisons revealed no statistically significant differences, although the descriptive pattern was similar to that found for the amygdala. The remaining exploratory ROIs showed significant group effects, but no timing effects. Conclusions: Timing of traumatization was associated with amygdala volumes throughout the lifespan, with opposite effects dependent on age at trauma occurrence. The relevance of potential confounders like trauma-type and multiplicity is discussed.

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Structural white and gray matter differences in a large sample of patients with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and a healthy and trauma-exposed control group: Diffusion tensor imaging and region-based morphometry

Cited by 23 publications

References 55 publications

White matter diffusivity and its correlations to state measures of psychopathology in male refugees with posttraumatic stress disorder

White matter diffusivity and its correlations to state measures of psychopathology in male refugees with posttraumatic stress disorder

Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms After Stroke: The Effects of Anatomy and Coping Style

Neurostructural associations with traumatic experiences during child- and adulthood

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