University of Missouri-St. Louis, USA.
Missouri Institute of Mental Health, St. Louis, USA.
J Interpers Violence. 2021 Aug;36(15-16):7480-7494. doi: 10.1177/0886260519835007. Epub 2019 Mar 13.
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic, debilitating disorder that is associated with neural alterations in multiple brain regions. Neuroimaging studies have largely focused on gray matter abnormalities in PTSD, with less information known about the integrity of white matter tracts. Prior studies of brain white matter in PTSD have produced mixed results, likely due to differences in neuroimaging sequences and clinical variables. This study addressed this gap by examining the microstructural integrity of the corpus callosum, the largest white matter fiber bundle in the brain, using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Sixty adult females diagnosed with PTSD with a history of interpersonal violence were compared with 18 trauma-exposed controls. All participants underwent DTI using 1.5 T. MANOVA revealed significantly higher fractional anisotropy (FA; .012) in the genu of the corpus callosum (GCC) compared with the trauma-exposed controls. These results suggest the GCC to relate to PTSD symptomatology. Further studies of this mechanism may provide insight into improving treatment and prevention efforts.
创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）是一种慢性、使人虚弱的障碍，与多个大脑区域的神经改变有关。神经影像学研究主要集中在 PTSD 的灰质异常上，而对脑白质束的完整性知之甚少。先前关于 PTSD 大脑白质的研究结果喜忧参半，这可能是由于神经影像学序列和临床变量的差异所致。这项研究通过使用弥散张量成像（DTI）检查大脑中最大的白质纤维束胼胝体的微观结构完整性，填补了这一空白。60 名成年女性 PTSD 患者，均有人际暴力史，与 18 名创伤暴露对照组进行比较。所有参与者均使用 1.5T 进行 DTI。MANOVA 显示，与创伤暴露对照组相比，胼胝体膝部（GCC）的分数各向异性（FA；.012）显著升高。这些结果表明，GCC 与 PTSD 症状有关。对这种机制的进一步研究可能有助于改善治疗和预防措施。
