Rostral Anterior Cingulate Volume Predicts Treatment Response to Cognitive-behavioural Therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Overview

Journal J Psychiatry Neurosci

Specialty Psychiatry

Date 2008 Mar 12

PMID 18330460

Citations 52

Authors

Richard A Bryant

Kim Felmingham

Thomas J Whitford

Andrew Kemp

Gerard Hughes

Anthony Peduto

Leanne M Williams

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: To index the extent to which treatment response in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is predicted by rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC) volume.

Method: We used structural magnetic resonance imaging in a 1.5 T scanner to examine subjects with PTSD (n = 13), traumatized control subjects (n = 13) and nontraumatized control subjects (n = 13). Subjects with PTSD then participated in 8 sessions of cognitive-behavioural therapy, after which we reassessed them for PTSD.

Results: According to voxel-based morphometry, treatment responders had larger rACC volume than nonresponders. Further, symptom reduction was associated with larger rACC volume.

Conclusion: Consistent with evidence for the neural bases of extinction learning, PTSD patients with larger rACC volume may be better able to regulate fear during cognitive-behavioural therapy and thus achieve greater treatment gains.

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