Citation

Young DA, Neylan TC, Chao LL, O'Donovan A, Metzler TJ, Inslicht SS. J. Psychiatr. Res. 2019; 111: 16-23.

Affiliation

San Francisco VA Health Care System, 4150 Clement St. (116P), San Francisco, CA, 94121, USA; Northern California Institute for Research and Education (NCIRE), The Veterans Health Research Institute, San Francisco, CA, 94121, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA. Electronic address: sabra.inslicht@ucsf.edu.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jpsychires.2019.01.011

PMID

30660809

Abstract

Child abuse (CA), which is linked to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), has been associated with a reduction in both hippocampal and corpus callosum (CC) volume. However, few studies have explored these relationships on psychophysiological variables related to trauma exposure. Therefore, we assessed whether the interaction between CA and hippocampal and CC volume were associated with enhanced fear potentiated psychophysiological response patterns in a sample of Veterans. 147 Veteran participants who were part of a larger study of Gulf War Illness were exposed to startling sounds in no, ambiguous, and high threat conditions and also provided MRI data. The Clinician Administered PTSD Scale and Trauma History Questionnaire were used to measure PTSD and CA respectively. Psychophysiological response was measured by EMG, SCR, and heart rate. Repeated-measures mixed linear models were used to assess the significance of CA by neural structure interactions. CA interacted with both hippocampal and CC volume on psychophysiological response magnitudes, where participants with CA and smaller hippocampal volume had greater EMG (p < 0.01) and SCR (p < 0.05) magnitudes across trials and over threat conditions. Participants with CA and smaller CC volume had greater SCR magnitudes across trials and over threat conditions (p < 0.01). Hippocampal and genu volume mediated CA and psychophysiological response magnitude. CA may impact psychophysiological response via a reduction in hippocampal and CC volume. Volumetric reduction in these structures may indicate a neurofunctional, CA-related increase in threat sensitivity, which could portend increased PTSD susceptibility and adverse interpersonal and social consequences across the lifespan.

Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Language: en

Keywords

CA; Corpus callosum; Hippocampus; Imaging; Psychophysiology; Trauma exposure