Neuroimaging studies in post-traumatic stress disorder

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Pitman RK, Shin LM, Rauch SL: Investigating the pathogenesis of posttraumatic stress disorder with neuroimaging. J Clin Psychiatry 2001, 62:47–54.

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Bremner JD, Randall PR, Scott TM, et al.: MRI-based measurement of hippocampal volume in posttraumatic stress disorder. Am J Psychiatry 1995, 152:973–981.

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Bremner JD, Randall P, Vermetten E, et al.: MRI-based measurement of hippocampal volume in posttraumatic stress disorder related to childhood physical and sexual abuse: a preliminary report. Biol Psychiatry 1997, 41:23–32.

Stein MB, Koverola C, Hanna C, et al.: Hippocampal volume in women victimized by childhood sexual abuse. Psychol Med 1997, 27:951–959.

DeBellis MD, Keshavan MS, Clark DB, et al.: AE Bennett Research Award: developmental traumatology: part II. Brain development. Biol Psychiatry 1999, 45:1271–1284. First study of brain structure in children with PTSD, the authors found smaller whole brain volume but not hippocampal volume in children with abuse-related PTS.

Bonne O, Brandes D, Gilboa A, et al.: Longitudinal MRI study of hippocampal volume in trauma survivors with PTSD. Am J Psychiatry 2001, 158:1248–1251. First longitudinal study of brain structure in PTSD, the authors did not find a reduction in hippocampal volume in new-onset PTSD.

De Bellis MD, Keshavan MS, Spencer S, et al.: N-acetylaspartate concentration in the anterior cingulate of maltreated children and adolescents with PTSD. Am J Psychiatry 2000, 157:1175–1177.

Bremner JD, Innis RB, Ng CK, et al.: PET measurement of central metabolic correlates of yohimbine administration in posttraumatic stress disorder. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1997, 54:246–256.

Rauch SL, van der Kolk BA, Fisler RE, et al.: A symptom provocation study of posttraumatic stress disorder using positron emission tomography and script-driven imagery. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1996, 53:380–387.

Bremner JD, Staib L, Kaloupek D, et al.: Neural correlates of exposure to traumatic pictures and sound in Vietnam combat veterans with and without posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD): a positron emission tomography study. Biol Psychiatry 1999, 45:806–816. First study of neural correlates of combat-related slides and sounds in PTSD found decreased medial prefrontal cortical function and increased posterior cingulate function, in addition to other findings.

Shin LM, Kosslyn SM, McNally RJ, et al.: Visual imagery and perception in posttraumatic stress disorder: a positron emission tomographic investigation. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1997, 54:233–237. This study measured neural correlates of both traumatic perception and imagery in combat-related PTSD and found decreased inferior frontal gyrus function in addition to other findings.

Zubieta J-K, Chinitz JA, Lombardi U, et al.: Medial frontal cortex involvement in PTSD symptoms: a SPECT study. J Psych Res 1999, 33:259–264.

Liberzon I, Taylor SF, Amdur R, et al.: Brain activation in PTSD in response to trauma-related stimuli. Biol Psychiatry 1999, 45:817–826. An initial study using SPECT found decreased medial prefrontal cortical function with combat sounds in PTSD.

Bremner JD, Narayan M, Staib LH, et al.: Neural correlates of memories of childhood sexual abuse in women with and without posttraumatic stress disorder. Am J Psychiatry 1999, 156:1787–1795. One of the first studies of neural correlates of childhood abuse in women found decreased medial prefrontal cortical and hippocampal function with exposure to traumatic scripts of childhood abuse in women with PTSD.

Shin LH, McNally RJ, Kosslyn SM, et al.: Regional cerebral blood flow during script-driven imagery in childhood sexual abuse-related PTSD: a PET investigation. Am J Psychiatry 1999, 156:575–584. Another initial study of neural correlates of traumatic scripts of childhood abuse in women with PTSD found decreased function in medial prefrontal cortex and other areas.

Lanius RA, Williamson PC, Densmore M, et al.: Neural correlates of traumatic memories in posttraumatic stress disorder: a functional MRI investigation. Am J Psychiatry 2001, 158:1920–1922. The first study to use fMRI measurement of neural correlates of traumatic scripts in women with abuse-related PTSD found decreased medial prefrontal and thalamic blood flow with traumatic reminders in PTSD.

Rauch SL, Whalen PJ, Shin LM, et al.: Exaggerated amygdala response to masked facial stimuli in posttraumatic stress disorder: a functional MRI study. Biol Psychiatry 2000, 47:769–776. This study used fMRI to show exposure to masked fearful faces was associated with increased amygdala function in PTSD.

Shin LM, Whalen PJ, Pitman RK, et al.: An fMRI study of anterior cingulate function in posttraumatic stress disorder. Biol Psychiatry 2001, 50:932–942. This study used the counting Stroop to show a failure of anterior cingulate function in PTSD.

Semple WE, Goyer PF, McCormick R, et al.: Attention and regional cerebral blood flow in posttraumatic stress disorder patients with substance abuse histories. Psych Res Neuroimaging 1996, 67:17–28.

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Hamner MB, Lorberbaum JP, George MS: Potential role of the anterior cingulate cortex in PTSD: Review and hypothesis. Depress Anxiety 1999, 9:1–14.

Bremner JD, Innis RB, Southwick SM, et al.: Decreased benzodiazepine receptor binding in frontal cortex in combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder. Am J Psychiatry 2000, 157:1120–1126. The first neuroreceptor study in PTSD showed decreased prefrontal benzodiazepine receptor binding at baseline in PTSD.