This article studies the relationship between the reduction in brain volume to post traumatic stress disorder or PTSD and depression. The researcher wanted to know if the amount of grey matter reductions in the brain are related to each disorder. A meta-analysis of MRIs show that patients with PTSD and depression both had reductions in hippocampal size. PTSD also showed some reductions in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and insular cortex along with reductions in other areas of the brain. This particular study uses the VBM(voxel-based morphometry) to test for these reductions and to determine if they were unique to one disorder or the other. They recruited 50 participants who were not abusing substances, had no history of brain injury, or any other medical disorders for a control group. The PTSD group met criteria based on the DSM-IV. The depression group met criteria based on assessment from the SCID. They were given the Beck Anxiety Inventory, used to measure the severity of the components of anxiety, the Beck Depression Inventory-II, a self report of depression severity, and the Post Traumatic diagnostic scale, that assess the frequency of symptoms after PTSD. The PTSD group had 24 participants and the major depression group consisted of 29 individuals. The researchers were not able to find unique differences in brain structures for the different disorders. Reductions in volume were found in both disorders in the frontal areas, medial orbitofrontal cortex. They did not find evidence in their sample of hippocampal reduction.
W., Rugg, M. D., Whalley, M. G., & Brewin, C. R. (2011). Structural brain abnormalities common to posttraumatic stress disorder and depression. Journal of Psychiatry & Neuroscience, 36(4), 256-265. doi:10.1503/jpn.100077
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