Xie, Hong; Claycomb Erwin, Meredith; Elhai, Jon D; Wall, John T; Tamburrino, Marijo B; Brickman, K R; Kaminski, Brian; McLean, S A; Liberzon, Israel; Wang, Xin
description
Smaller hippocampal volume is associated with more severe posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms years after traumatic experiences. Posttraumatic stress symptoms appear early following trauma, but the relationship between hippocampal volume and PTSD symptom severity during early posttrauma periods is not well understood. It is possible that the inverse relationship between hippocampal volume and PTSD symptom severity is already present soon after trauma. To test this possibility, we prospectively examined the association between hippocampal volumes and severity of PTSD symptoms within weeks to months after trauma due to a motor vehicle collision.
