Department of Radiology, Huaxi MR Research Center, Center for Diagnostic Imaging, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, People's Republic of China.
Hum Brain Mapp. 2013 Feb;34(2):367-73. doi: 10.1002/hbm.21438. Epub 2011 Oct 31.
A characterization of the impact of natural disasters on the brain of survivors is critical for a better understanding of posttraumatic responses and may inform the development of more effective early interventions. Here we report alterations in white matter microstructure in survivors soon after Wenchuan earthquake in China in 2008. Within 25 days after the Wenchuan earthquake, 44 healthy survivors were recruited and scanned on a 3T MR imaging system. The survivors were divided into two groups according to their self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) score, including the SAS(+) (SAS > 55 after correction) group and "SAS(-)" (SAS < 55 after correction) group. Thrity-two healthy volunteers were also recruited as control group before earthquake. Individual maps of fractional anisotropy (FA) were calculated and voxel-based analysis (VBA) was performed to allow the comparison between survivors and controls using ANCOVAs in SPM2. In addition, a correlation between SAS score and regional FA value was examined using Pearson's correlation analysis in SPSS 11.5. Compared with the healthy cohort, the whole group of 44 survivors showed significantly decreased FA values in the right prefrontal lobe, the parietal lobe, the basal ganglia, and the right parahippocampus. These effects did not appear to depend on self-rating anxiety. For the first time we provide evidence that acute trauma altered cerebral microstructure within the limbic system; furthermore, these alterations are evident shortly after the traumatic event, highlighting the need for early evaluation and intervention for trauma survivors.
对幸存者大脑所受自然灾害影响进行特征描述，对于更好地了解创伤后反应至关重要，并且可能为制定更有效的早期干预措施提供信息。在此，我们报告了 2008 年中国汶川地震后幸存者的大脑白质微观结构的变化。在汶川地震后 25 天内，招募了 44 名健康的幸存者，并在 3T MR 成像系统上进行了扫描。根据他们的自我评定焦虑量表（SAS）评分，将幸存者分为两组，包括 SAS(+)（校正后 SAS > 55）组和“SAS(-)”（校正后 SAS < 55）组。还在地震前招募了 32 名健康志愿者作为对照组。使用 SPM2 中的 ANCOVA 计算各向异性分数（FA）的个体图谱，并进行体素基分析（VBA），以允许在幸存者和对照组之间进行比较。此外，使用 SPSS 11.5 中的 Pearson 相关性分析检查 SAS 评分与区域 FA 值之间的相关性。与健康队列相比，44 名幸存者的整个组在右侧前额叶、顶叶、基底节和右侧海马旁回中均显示出 FA 值明显降低。这些影响似乎不依赖于自我评定的焦虑。我们首次提供了证据表明急性创伤改变了边缘系统内的大脑微观结构；此外，这些变化在创伤事件后不久就很明显，这突出了对创伤幸存者进行早期评估和干预的必要性。
