There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.
Abstract
The last decade of neuroimaging research has yielded important information concerning
the structure, neurochemistry, and function of the amygdala, medial prefrontal cortex,
and hippocampus in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Neuroimaging research reviewed
in this article reveals heightened amygdala responsivity in PTSD during symptomatic
states and during the processing of trauma-unrelated affective information. Importantly,
amygdala responsivity is positively associated with symptom severity in PTSD. In contrast,
medial prefrontal cortex appears to be volumetrically smaller and is hyporesponsive
during symptomatic states and the performance of emotional cognitive tasks in PTSD.
Medial prefrontal cortex responsivity is inversely associated with PTSD symptom severity.
Lastly, the reviewed research suggests diminished volumes, neuronal integrity, and
functional integrity of the hippocampus in PTSD. Remaining research questions and
related future directions are presented.