Brain Biomarkers of PTSD in Brain Injury Patients Discovered

In people with traumatic brain injury (TBI), potential brain biomarkers of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have been discovered.

The study appears in Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, published by Elsevier.

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‘Brain imaging helps predict post-traumatic stress disorder after brain injury.’

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"The relationship between TBI and PTSD has garnered increased attention in recent years as studies have shown considerable overlap in risk factors and symptoms," said lead author Murray Stein, MD, MPH, FRCPC, a Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Family Medicine & Public Health at the University of California San Diego, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.

"In this study, we were able to use data from TRACK-TBI, a large longitudinal study of patients who present in the Emergency Department with TBIs serious enough to warrant CT (computed tomography) scans."

The researchers analyzed over 400 TBI patients, assessing them for PTSD at 3 and 6 months after their brain injury. At 3 months, 77 participants, or 18 percent, had likely PTSD; at 6 months, 70 participants or 16 percent did. All subjects underwent brain imaging after injury.

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Smaller volume in brain regions called the cingulate cortex, the superior frontal cortex, and the insula predicted PTSD at 3 months.

The brain regions are linked to arousal, attention, and emotional regulation. The structural imaging did not predict PTSD at 6 months.

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The decreased cortical volume may be a risk factor for developing PTSD. The study findings suggest a "brain reserve," or higher cortical volumes, may provide some resilience against PTSD.

Although the biomarker of brain volume differences is not yet robust enough to provide clinical guidance, Dr. Stein said, "it does pave the way for future studies to look even more closely at how these brain regions may contribute to (or protect against) mental health problems such as PTSD."

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