TY - JOUR
T1 - Macro- and microstructural gray matter alterations in sexually assaulted women
AU - Berman, Zohar
AU - Assaf, Yaniv
AU - Tarrasch, Ricardo
AU - Joel, Daphna
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2020/2/1
Y1 - 2020/2/1
N2 - Background: Studies with trauma survivors documented structural alterations in brain regions involved in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) neurocircuitry. Nonetheless, whether such alterations exist in women who were sexually assaulted in adulthood is not clear. We investigated the macro- and microstructure of key regions implicated in PTSD pathophysiology, namely the amygdala, hippocampus, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and insula, in this population. Methods: Thirty-eight sexually assaulted women (PTSD, n = 25; non-PTSD, n = 13) and 24 non-exposed controls (NEC) were studied with T1- and diffusion-weighted MRI. Gray matter volume, mean diffusivity (MD), and fractional anisotropy (FA) were calculated for each region. Between-group comparisons and correlations with PTSD symptom severity were performed. Results: Volumetric analyses revealed lower amygdala and insula volumes in the PTSD compared with the non-PTSD group. In contrast, altered microstructure was observed in both traumatized groups compared with NEC, including higher MD and lower FA in the right amygdala, and higher FA in the ACC bilaterally. Finally, the non-PTSD group had higher FA in the right insula compared with the PTSD group. PTSD symptom severity was correlated with amygdala and insula volumes, as well as with hippocampal FA and MD. Limitations: Sample size may have led to reduced statistical power. Conclusions: Sexual assault and the development of PTSD in women are linked with structural alterations in key regions implicated in PTSD following other trauma types (e.g., combat), though hippocampal and ACC volumes were preserved. Further studies are needed to disentangle the unique contribution of trauma type and of sex/gender to these observations.
AB - Background: Studies with trauma survivors documented structural alterations in brain regions involved in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) neurocircuitry. Nonetheless, whether such alterations exist in women who were sexually assaulted in adulthood is not clear. We investigated the macro- and microstructure of key regions implicated in PTSD pathophysiology, namely the amygdala, hippocampus, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and insula, in this population. Methods: Thirty-eight sexually assaulted women (PTSD, n = 25; non-PTSD, n = 13) and 24 non-exposed controls (NEC) were studied with T1- and diffusion-weighted MRI. Gray matter volume, mean diffusivity (MD), and fractional anisotropy (FA) were calculated for each region. Between-group comparisons and correlations with PTSD symptom severity were performed. Results: Volumetric analyses revealed lower amygdala and insula volumes in the PTSD compared with the non-PTSD group. In contrast, altered microstructure was observed in both traumatized groups compared with NEC, including higher MD and lower FA in the right amygdala, and higher FA in the ACC bilaterally. Finally, the non-PTSD group had higher FA in the right insula compared with the PTSD group. PTSD symptom severity was correlated with amygdala and insula volumes, as well as with hippocampal FA and MD. Limitations: Sample size may have led to reduced statistical power. Conclusions: Sexual assault and the development of PTSD in women are linked with structural alterations in key regions implicated in PTSD following other trauma types (e.g., combat), though hippocampal and ACC volumes were preserved. Further studies are needed to disentangle the unique contribution of trauma type and of sex/gender to these observations.
KW - Diffusion-weighted imaging
KW - Magnetic resonance imaging
KW - Posttraumatic stress disorder
KW - Sex/gender
KW - Sexual assault
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85074493877&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jad.2019.10.024
DO - 10.1016/j.jad.2019.10.024
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C2 - 31662209
AN - SCOPUS:85074493877
SN - 0165-0327
VL - 262
SP - 196
EP - 204
JO - Journal of Affective Disorders
JF - Journal of Affective Disorders
ER -