Neurotrophic factors and hippocampal activity in PTSD

Although numerous studies have investigated the neurotrophic factors and hippocampal activity in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) separately each other, it is unclear whether an association between neurotrophic factors and hippocampal activity is present. The aim of this study was to evaluate th...

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Published inPloS one Vol. 13; no. 5; p. e0197889
Main Authors Tural, Ümit, Aker, Ahmet Tamer, Önder, Emin, Sodan, Hatice Turan, Ünver, Hatice, Akansel, Gür
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Public Library of Science 25.05.2018
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
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Summary:Although numerous studies have investigated the neurotrophic factors and hippocampal activity in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) separately each other, it is unclear whether an association between neurotrophic factors and hippocampal activity is present. The aim of this study was to evaluate the functional changes in hippocampus before and after treatment with escitalopram and to associate these changes with peptides related to neuronal growth in patients with chronic PTSD and trauma survivors without PTSD. Fifteen earthquake survivors with chronic PTSD and thirteen drug naïve trauma exposed individuals without PTSD underwent fMRI scans in a block design. Serum levels of Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) and Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) were measured before and after 12 weeks treatment with escitalopram. Baseline median serum level of NGF was significantly lower in patients with chronic PTSD than trauma survivors; however, 12 weeks of treatment with escitalopram significantly increased it. Higher activation was found both in left and right hippocampus for chronic PTSD group than trauma survivors. Treatment with escitalopram was significantly associated with suppression of the hyperactivation in left hippocampus in patients with chronic PTSD. Bilateral hyperactivation in hippocampus and lowered NGF may associate with neurobiological disarrangements in chronic PTSD. Treatment with escitalopram was significantly associated with both improvement in the severity of PTSD symptoms and biological alterations. Patients diagnosed with PTSD may have further and complicated deteriorations in hippocampal networks and neurotransmitter systems than individuals who had not been diagnosed with PTSD following the same traumatic experience.
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Competing Interests: The authors did not receive payment or support at any time in kind for any aspect of the submitted manuscript including salary, employment, consulting fee or honorarium, support for travel to meetings for the study or other purposes. None of the authors has any patents, products in development, or marketed products to declare. This research was funded by Lundbeck Pharmaceuticals. This does not alter the authors’ adherence to all the PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0197889