Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a complex psychiatric disorder brought on by physical and / or psychological trauma. How his symptoms, including anxiety, depression, and mental arousal arise is still not fully understood and predicted. Now, researchers are using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to detect potential brain biomarkers of PTSD in people with traumatic brain injury (TBI).
The study appears in Biology Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, published by Elsevier.
“The relationship between TBI and PTSD has gained more attention in recent years as studies have shown a significant overlap in risk factors and symptoms,” said lead author Murray Stein, MD, MPH, FRCPC , Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Family & Public Health Medicine at the University of California San Diego, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA. “In this study, we were able to use data from TRACK-TBI, a large, long-term study of patients present in the Emergency Department with TBIs severe enough to qualify for CT (computed tomography) scans. ”
The researchers followed more than 400 TBI patients, assessing them for PTSD at 3 and 6 months after the brain injury. At 3 months, 77 participants, or 18 percent, appeared to have PTSD; at 6 months, 70 participants or 16 percent performed. All subjects went through brain images after being injured.
“MRI scans performed within two weeks of injury were used to quantify key brain structures that were thought to be involved in PTSD,” Dr. Stein said. “We found that several of these structures predicted PTSD 3-months after injury. ”
Notably, there was a smaller volume in brain regions known as the cingulate cortex, the superior frontal cortex, and the PTSD predictive insula at 3 months. The areas are related to arousal, attention and emotional control. The structural picture did not predict PTSD at 6 months.
The findings from previous studies show a smaller size in several of these brain regions in people with PTSD and studies suggest that the reduced cortical volume may be a risk factor for developing PTSD. Taken together, the findings suggest that “brain reserve,” or higher cortical dimensions, may provide some flexibility against PTSD.
Although biomarker brain size differences are not yet robust enough to provide clinical guidance, Dr Stein said, “it is a way for future studies to take a closer look at how the brain regions might function. that contributes to (or protects against) the mind. health problems such as PTSD. “
Cameron Carter, MD, Editor of Biological Psychology: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, said of the work, “This very important study uses magnetic resonance imaging to take the field one step closer to understanding why some people develop PTSD after trauma and others do not. It also lays the foundation for future research aimed at using brain imagery to help predict that a person is at greater risk and will benefit from targeted interventions. to reduce the clinical impact of a traumatic event. ”
(This story was published from a wire group group without text modification.)
Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter