Structural alterations in lateral prefrontal, parietal and posterior midline regions of men with chronic posttraumatic stress disorder

Stress Replacement Article

In doing research on stress, I decided to look into posttraumatic stress disorder.  Posttraumatic stress is a condition that occurs when someone has experienced traumatic events in the past and causes severe anxiety.  Research suggests that this disorder affects three main parts of the brain: the amygdala, hippocampus, and medial prefrontal cortex.  Reduced volumes in the hippocampus, amygdala, and anterior cingular cortex have been reported in people with posttraumatic stress disorder.  A thinner prefrontal cortex has also been found in war veterans with the disorder.  This article discusses the possibility that other parts of the brain are being affected by PTSD as well.  The researchers hypothesized that the participants in their study would show reduced volumes in prefrontal, parietal, and posterior midline regions that are associated with episodic memory and/or emotional processing.  They recruited participants between the ages of 18 and 55 and controlled for confounds by only including those that took no regular medication and consumed little or no alcohol.  There were 52 participants, with 20 who currently had PTSD, 19 who did not have the disorder but experienced traumatic stressors, and 13 who had not experienced traumatic stressors.  The first stage of the investigation including interviews and diagnostic procedures regarding health.  The second stage involved using magnetic resonance imaging to look at the regions of the brain being investigated.  The following regions of the brain were chosen to be examined: prefrontal cortex (superior frontal cortex, rostral middle frontal cortex, inferior frontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex and ACC), posterior midline structures (posterior cingulate cortex, isthmus of the cingulate, precuneus), and lateral parietal cortex (superior parietal cortex, inferior parietal cortex and supramarginal cortex).  The researchers did find volume reductions in lateral prefrontal, parietal, and posterior midline regions in participants with PTSD and to a lesser extent, in those who experienced traumatic events but did not suffer from the disorder.  These regions of the brain are known to be associated with emotional processing, episodic memory, and executive control.  Knowing what regions of the brain are affected by this disorder can help us to better understand the symptoms and possible treat them more effectively.


Eckart, C., Stoppel, C., Kaufmann, J., Tempelmann, C., Hinrichs, H., Elbert, T., & ... Kolassa, I. (2011). Structural alterations in lateral prefrontal, parietal and posterior midline regions of men with chronic posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Psychiatry & Neuroscience, 36(3), 176-186. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. doi:10.1503/jpn.100010