Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Ruat, Julia
• Heinz, Daniel E.
• Binder, Florian P.
• Stark, Tibor
• Neuner, Robert
• Hartmann, Alice
• Kaplick, Paul M.
• Chen, Alon
• Czisch, Michael
• Wotjak, Carsten T.

Titel

Structural correlates of trauma-induced hyperarousal in mice

Ist Teil von

• Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry, 2021-12, Vol.111, p.110404-110404, Article 110404

Ort / Verlag

England: Elsevier Inc

Erscheinungsjahr

2021

Quelle

MEDLINE

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic disease caused by traumatic incidents. Numerous studies have revealed grey matter volume differences in affected individuals. The nature of the disease renders it difficult to distinguish between a priori versus a posteriori changes. To overcome this difficulty, we studied the consequences of a traumatic event on brain morphology in mice before and 4 weeks after exposure to brief foot shocks (or sham treatment), and correlated morphology with symptoms of hyperarousal. In the latter context, we assessed hyperarousal upon confrontation with acoustic, visual, or composite (acoustic/visual/tactile) threats and integrated the individual readouts into a single Hyperarousal Score using logistic regression analysis. MRI scans with subsequent whole-brain deformation-based morphometry (DBM) analysis revealed a volume decrease of the dorsal hippocampus and an increase of the reticular nucleus in shocked mice when compared to non-shocked controls. Using the Hyperarousal Score as regressor for the post-exposure MRI measurement, we observed negative correlations with several brain structures including the dorsal hippocampus. If the development of changes with respect to the basal MRI was considered, reduction in globus pallidus volume reflected hyperarousal severity. Our findings demonstrate that a brief traumatic incident can cause volume changes in defined brain structures and suggest the globus pallidus as an important hub for the control of fear responses to threatening stimuli of different sensory modalities. •We studied changes in brain volume associated with a traumatic experience in mice using repeated in vivo MRI scans.•To correlate morphology with symptoms , we assessed hyperarousal upon confrontation with different threatening stimuli.•The individual behavioral readouts were integrated into a single Hyperarousal Score using logistic regression analysis.•We observed negative correlations of the Hyperarousal Score with several brain structures 4 weeks aftertrauma.•Reduction in globus pallidus volume from baseline to post-trauma conditions reflected hyperarousal severity.