Smaller hippocampal volume predicts pathologic vulnerability to psychological trauma
Smaller hippocampal volume predicts pathologic vulnerability to psychological trauma
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DOI：
10.1038/nn958
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发表时间：
2002-11-01
影响因子：
25
通讯作者：
Pitman, RK
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Gilbertson, MW;Shenton, ME;Pitman, RK
在动物中，暴露在严重的压力下会损害海马。最近的人类研究表明，患有与压力相关的精神疾病创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）的个体海马体积较小。这是否代表了创伤的神经毒性作用，还是海马体积较小是一种预先存在的状况，使大脑更容易受到病理性应激反应的影响？在创伤暴露不一致的同卵双胞胎中，我们发现证据表明，较小的海马体确实构成了压力相关精神病理学发展的危险因素。暴露于创伤的PTSD患者的障碍严重程度与患者及其未暴露于创伤的同卵双胞胎的海马体积呈负相关。此外，严重创伤后应激障碍的双胞胎——无论是暴露在创伤中的还是未暴露在创伤中的——其海马体明显小于未暴露在创伤后应激障碍中的双胞胎。
In animals, exposure to severe stress can damage the hippocampus. Recent human studies show smaller hippocampal volume in individuals with the stress-related psychiatric condition posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Does this represent the neurotoxic effect of trauma, or is smaller hippocampal volume a pre-existing condition that renders the brain more vulnerable to the development of pathological stress responses? In monozygotic twins discordant for trauma exposure, we found evidence that smaller hippocampi indeed constitute a risk factor for the development of stress-related psychopathology. Disorder severity in PTSD patients who were exposed to trauma was negatively correlated with the hippocampal volume of both the patients and the patients' trauma-unexposed identical co-twin. Furthermore, severe PTSD twin pairs-both the trauma-exposed and unexposed members-had significantly smaller hippocampi than non-PTSD pairs.