Evidence for the changes of pituitary volumes in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder

• Published in: Psychiatry research. Neuroimaging Vol. 260; pp. 49 - 52
• Main Authors: Atmaca, Murad, Ozer, Omer, Korkmaz, Sevda, Taskent, Ismail, Yildirim, Hanefi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 28.02.2017
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Female; Gland; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods; Male; Organ Size - physiology; Pituitary; Pituitary Gland - diagnostic imaging; Pituitary Gland - pathology; Psychiatry; PTSD; Radiology; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - diagnostic imaging; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - pathology; Volumetric; Young Adult; PTSD; pituitary; gland; volumetric; Gland; Volumetric; Pituitary
• ISSN: 0925-4927; 1872-7506
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2016.12.004

Abstract In pubertal and postpubertal patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), significantly greater pituitary gland volumes have been reported. Moving from this point, in the present study, we aimed to investigate pituitary gland volumes in patients with PTSD and hypothesized that volumes of the gland would be structurally changed. Volumetric magnetic resonance imaging of the pituitary gland was performed among sixteen patients with PTSD and fifteen healthy control subjects. We found that the mean volume of the pituitary gland was statistically significant and smaller than that of healthy subjects (0.69±0.08 cm3 for patient group and 0.83±0.21 for control subjects). Consequently, in the present study, we found that patients with PTSD had smaller pituitary gland volumes than those of healthy controls like other anxiety disorders. It is important to provide support for this finding in future longitudinal investigations.