Xiaorui Su1, Chunchao Xia2, Weina Wang1, Huaiqiang Sun1, Qiaoyue Tan1, Simin Zhang1, Lingjiang Li3, Graham J Kemp4, Qiang Yue5, Qiyong Gong6. 1. Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China. 2. Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China. 3. Mental Health Institute, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China. 4. Liverpool Magnetic Resonance Imaging Centre (LiMRIC) and Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom. 5. Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China. Electronic address: scu_yq@163.com. 6. Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China. Electronic address: qiyonggong@hmrrc.org.cn.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Previous psychoradiological studies of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were mainly of patients at a chronic stage, focusing on brain regions outside the amygdala. The goals of this study were to investigate the early biochemical and structural changes of anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and amygdala in patients with PTSD and to explore their relationships. METHODS: Seventy-eight drug-naïve PTSD subjects and 71 non-PTSD age- and sex-matched control subjects were enrolled, all of whom had suffered the same earthquake about one year before. Single-voxel proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) was performed and absolute metabolite concentrations in ACC and bilateral amygdalae were estimated with LCModel. Bilateral amygdalae were manually outlined and their volumes were calculated and corrected for the total intracranial volume. RESULTS: The PTSD group showed significantly increased N-acetylaspartate (NAA) concentration in the ACC, increased creatine (Cr) concentration in the left amygdala, and increased myo-inositol (mI) concentration in the right amygdala, compared to non-PTSD controls. The NAA concentration in ACC was negatively correlated with the time since trauma. The PTSD group showed significantly decreased volumes of bilateral amygdalae compared to non-PTSD controls, but amygdala volumes were not correlated with metabolite concentrations. LIMITATIONS: Longitudinal studies are needed to explore the metabolic and structural changes of PTSD at different stages. The volume of ACC was not measured. CONCLUSIONS: This concurrent increase in some metabolite concentrations and decrease of amygdala volumes may represent a pattern of biochemical and morphological changes in recent-onset PTSD which is different from that reported in chronic PTSD.
BACKGROUND: Previous psychoradiological studies of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were mainly of patients at a chronic stage, focusing on brain regions outside the amygdala. The goals of this study were to investigate the early biochemical and structural changes of anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and amygdala in patients with PTSD and to explore their relationships. METHODS: Seventy-eight drug-naïve PTSD subjects and 71 non-PTSD age- and sex-matched control subjects were enrolled, all of whom had suffered the same earthquake about one year before. Single-voxel proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) was performed and absolute metabolite concentrations in ACC and bilateral amygdalae were estimated with LCModel. Bilateral amygdalae were manually outlined and their volumes were calculated and corrected for the total intracranial volume. RESULTS: The PTSD group showed significantly increased N-acetylaspartate (NAA) concentration in the ACC, increased creatine (Cr) concentration in the left amygdala, and increased myo-inositol (mI) concentration in the right amygdala, compared to non-PTSD controls. The NAA concentration in ACC was negatively correlated with the time since trauma. The PTSD group showed significantly decreased volumes of bilateral amygdalae compared to non-PTSD controls, but amygdala volumes were not correlated with metabolite concentrations. LIMITATIONS: Longitudinal studies are needed to explore the metabolic and structural changes of PTSD at different stages. The volume of ACC was not measured. CONCLUSIONS: This concurrent increase in some metabolite concentrations and decrease of amygdala volumes may represent a pattern of biochemical and morphological changes in recent-onset PTSD which is different from that reported in chronic PTSD.
Authors: Meltem Kiyar; Mary-Ann Kubre; Sarah Collet; Sourav Bhaduri; Guy T'Sjoen; Antonio Guillamon; Sven C Mueller Journal: Int J Neuropsychopharmacol Date: 2022-05-27 Impact factor: 5.678