Study of the hippocampus and the anterior cingulate gyrus by proton MR spectroscopy in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder.

OBJECTIVE To explore the characteristics of metabolic changes in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder through 1H-MRS in neuroanatomical circuit comparing with age-matches controls. METHODS Fifty patients with post-traumatic stress disorder and 50 gender-and age-matched normal controls were involved. The neurochemical abnormalities including the levels of choline (Cho)/creatine(Cr) and N-acetylaspartate (NAA)/Cr were measured respectively in hippocampus and the anterior cingulate gyrus with three-dimension 1H-proton spectroscopy(3D 1H-MRS). RESULTS The values of NAA/Cr ratios in hippocampus and the anterior cingulate gyrus were significant lower in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder(1.71±0.32, left 1.58±0.29, right 1.55±0.31) than that in controls(2.24±0.41, left 1.98±0.27, right 2.02±0.36)(P<0.05), but the values of Cho/Cr in hippocampus(left 1.64±0.23, right 1.66±0.34) were no significant with that of controls (left 1.48±0.29, right 1.54±0.38). Values of Cho/Cr in cingulate gyrus were significant higher in post-traumatic stress disorder patients (1.88±0.44) than that in controls (1.37.±0.32) (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS The results indicate some special neurochemical and histological structure changes in post-traumatic stress disorder patients, which might occurre earlier in anterior cingulate gyrusthe than in hippocampus.