Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, WA 6102, Australia.
The Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science, Perth, WA 6009, Australia.
Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Apr 5;24(7):6797. doi: 10.3390/ijms24076797.
Blast-induced neurotrauma (BINT) frequently occurs during military training and deployment and has been linked to long-term neuropsychological and neurocognitive changes, and changes in brain structure. As military personnel experience frequent exposures to stress, BINT may negatively influence stress coping abilities. This study aimed to determine the effects of BINT on gray matter volume and hormonal alteration. Participants were Canadian Armed Forces personnel and veterans with a history of BINT ( = 12), and first responder controls ( = 8), recruited due to their characteristic occupational stress professions. Whole saliva was collected via passive drool on the morning of testing and analyzed for testosterone (pg/mL), cortisol (μg/dL), and testosterone/cortisol (T/C) ratio. Voxel-based morphometry was performed to compare gray matter (GM) volume, alongside measurement of cortical thickness and subcortical volumes. Saliva analyses revealed distinct alterations following BINT, with significantly elevated testosterone and T/C ratio. Widespread and largely symmetric loci of reduced GM were found specific to BINT, particularly in the temporal gyrus, precuneus, and thalamus. These findings suggest that BINT affects hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal and -gonadal axis function, and causes anatomically-specific GM loss, which were not observed in a comparator group with similar occupational stressors. These findings support BINT as a unique injury with distinct structural and endocrine consequences.
爆炸所致神经创伤（BINT）在军事训练和部署中经常发生，与长期的神经心理学和神经认知变化以及大脑结构变化有关。由于军事人员经常面临压力，BINT 可能会对压力应对能力产生负面影响。本研究旨在确定 BINT 对灰质体积和激素改变的影响。参与者为有 BINT 病史的加拿大武装部队人员和退伍军人（n=12），以及因职业压力特征而招募的第一反应者对照组（n=8）。测试当天早晨通过被动流涎收集全唾液，并分析睾酮（pg/mL）、皮质醇（μg/dL）和睾酮/皮质醇（T/C）比值。进行基于体素的形态测量，以比较灰质（GM）体积，以及皮质厚度和皮质下体积的测量。唾液分析显示 BINT 后存在明显的改变，睾酮和 T/C 比值显著升高。发现 BINT 特异性存在广泛且基本对称的 GM 减少部位，特别是在颞叶、楔前叶和丘脑。这些发现表明，BINT 影响下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺和性腺轴的功能，并导致特定于 GM 的解剖学损失，而在具有相似职业压力源的对照组中未观察到这些变化。这些发现支持 BINT 是一种具有独特结构和内分泌后果的独特损伤。
