MRI shows PTSD sufferers have smaller cerebellums

MRI shows that people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have a cerebellum about 2% smaller than adults without the condition, especially in areas that influence emotion and memory, according to a study published January 10 in Molecular Psychiatry. The cerebellum coordinates movement and balance and influences emotion and memory. But it's unclear whether a smaller cerebellum makes a person vulnerable to PTSD or whether PTSD shrinks this particular brain region, noted a team led by Ashley Huggins, PhD, of the University of Arizona in Tucson. (The study was conducted under the auspices of the lab of psychiatrist Raj Morey, MD, at Duke University in Durham, NC.) "[Our study found] differences … within the posterior lobe, where a lot of the more cognitive functions attributed to the cerebellum seem to localize, as well as the vermis, which is linked to emotional processing functions," Huggins said in a statement released by the university. Previous studies have shown that the amygdala and the hippocampus are involved in PTSD, but less is understood about the cerebellum's role. And the brain region is important: Although it makes up only 10% of the brain's total volume, it consists of more than half of the brain's 86 billion nerve cells, the team explained. The investigators explored the effect of PTSD on the cerebellum through a study that included 4,215 brain MRI exams; of these, a third had led to a PTSD diagnosis. Each image was analyzed with automated software,...
Source: AuntMinnie.com Headlines - Category: Radiology Authors: Tags: MRI Source Type: news