Original scientific paper

BRAIN CHANGES IN PATIENTS WITH POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER AND ASSOCIATED ALCOHOLISM: MRI BASED STUDY

Ana Starčević ; University of Belgrade, School of Medicine, Belgrade, Serbia; Institute of Anatomy “Niko Miljani
Ivan Dimitrijević ; University of Belgrade, School of Medicine, Belgrade, Serbia; Clinic for Psychiatry, Clinical Centre of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia
Milan Aleksić ; University of Belgrade, School of Medicine, Belgrade, Serbia; Institute of Anatomy “Niko Miljani
Lazar Stijak ; University of Belgrade, School of Medicine, Belgrade, Serbia; Institute of Anatomy “Niko Miljani
Vidosava Radonjić ; University of Belgrade, School of Medicine, Belgrade, Serbia; Institute of Anatomy “Niko Miljani
Dubravka Aleksić ; University of Belgrade, School of Medicine, Belgrade, Serbia; Institute of Anatomy “Niko Miljani
Branislav Filipović ; University of Belgrade, School of Medicine, Belgrade, Serbia; Institute of Anatomy “Niko Miljani

Abstract

Background: Studies imposing rigorous control over lifetime alcohol intake usually have not found smaller hippocampal
volumes in persons with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Since the majority of negative studies have used adolescent samples,
it has been suggested that chronicity is a necessary condition for such findings. We have hypothesized that the volumes of
hippocampus, amygdale, prefrontal cortex and the intracranial volume are reduced in the patients with PTSD and excessive alcohol
intake.
Subjects and methods: Study has been carried out on 54 therapy naive PTSD suffering subjects and healthy controls, divided in
two groups: 29 with PTSD and consequent alcoholism, 25 with PTSD but without problems of excessive alcohol intake, and 25
healthy volunteers. All of the patients underwent same magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocol and volumetric evaluation of the
region of interest.
Results: Only hippocampal volume appeared to be significantly reduced in patients with PTSD and alcoholism. Other differences
in the volumes obtained remained to be insignificant.
Conclusion: Alcohol intake definitely worsens the deterioration of the hippocampal formation in PTSD suffering patients.
Nevertheless, other structures of interest for this study did not manifest any kind of statistical differences in volumetric analysis.

Keywords

posttraumatic stress disorder – PTSD - hippocampus – MRI – brain – anatomy

Hrčak ID:

162377

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/162377

Publication date:

9.3.2015.

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