Association among anterior cingulate cortex volume, psychophysiological response, and PTSD diagnosis in a Veteran sample.
Neurobiol Learn Mem
; 155: 189-196, 2018 11.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-30086395
ABSTRACT
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with fear response system dysregulation. Research has shown that the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) may modulate the fear response and that individuals with PTSD have abnormalities in ACC structure and functioning. Our objective was to assess whether ACC volume moderates the relationship between PTSD and fear-potentiated psychophysiological response in a sample of Gulf War Veterans. 142 Veteran participants who were associated with a larger study associated with Gulf War Illness were exposed to no threat, ambiguous threat, and high threat conditions in a fear conditioned startle response paradigm and also provided MRI imaging data. PTSD was assessed using the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS). Decreased caudal ACC volume predicted greater psychophysiological responses with a slower habituation of psychophysiological magnitudes across trials (pâ¯<â¯0.001). PTSD diagnosis interacted significantly with both caudal and rostral ACC volumes on psychophysiological response magnitudes, where participants with PTSD and smaller rostral and caudal ACC volumes had greater psychophysiological magnitudes across trials (pâ¯<â¯0.05 and pâ¯<â¯0.001, respectively) and threat conditions (pâ¯<â¯0.05 and pâ¯<â¯0.005). Our results suggest that ACC volume may moderate both threat sensitivity and threat response via impaired habituation in individuals who have been exposed to traumatic events. More research is needed to assess whether ACC size and these associated response patterns are due to neurological processes resulting from trauma exposure or if they are indicative of a premorbid risk for PTSD subsequent to trauma exposure.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Reflexo de Sobressalto
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Transtornos de Estresse Pós-Traumáticos
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Medo
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Giro do Cíngulo
Tipo de estudo:
Diagnostic_studies
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Observational_studies
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Prevalence_studies
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Prognostic_studies
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Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Adult
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Female
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Humans
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Male
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Middle aged
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2018
Tipo de documento:
Article