Abnormal metabolite concentrations and amygdala volume in patients with recent-onset posttraumatic stress disorder

摘要: Abstract Background Previous psychoradiological studies of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were mainly patients at a chronic stage, focusing on brain regions outside the amygdala. The goals this study to investigate early biochemical and structural changes anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) amygdala in with PTSD explore their relationships. Methods Seventy-eight drug-naive subjects 71 non-PTSD age- sex-matched control enrolled, all whom had suffered same earthquake about one year before. Single-voxel proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) was performed absolute metabolite concentrations ACC bilateral amygdalae estimated LCModel. Bilateral manually outlined volumes calculated corrected for total intracranial volume. Results group showed significantly increased N-acetylaspartate (NAA) concentration ACC, creatine (Cr) left amygdala, myo-inositol (mI) right compared controls. NAA negatively correlated time since trauma. decreased controls, but not concentrations. Limitations Longitudinal are needed metabolic different stages. volume measured. Conclusions This concurrent increase some decrease may represent pattern morphological recent-onset which is from that reported PTSD.