Asymmetry of limbic structure (hippocampal formation and amygdaloidal complex) at PTSD

Aida Sarač-Hadžihalilović; Faruk Dilberović

doi:10.17305/bjbms.2003.3549

Authors

Aida Sarač-Hadžihalilović Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sarajevo
Faruk Dilberović Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sarajevo

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17305/bjbms.2003.3549

Keywords:

imbic system, hippocampal formation, amygdaloidal complex, asymmetry, posttraumatic stress disorder - PTSD

Abstract

Defining exact position of weak anatomic function which is find in a base of neurological and psychiatric disorder is just became the subject of intensive research interest. For this purposes it is important to implement structural and functional MRI techniques, also for further lightening and seeing subject of this work, more concretely connected to PTSD. Therefore, exactly MRI gives most sensitive volumetric measuring of hippocampal formation and amygdaloidal complex.

The goal of this work was to research asymmetry of hippocampal formation and amygdaloidal complex to the PTSD patients.

Results showed that at the axial slice length of hippocampal formation on the left and right side of all patients are significantly asymmetric. At the sagittal slice from the left side of hippocampal formation is in many cases longer than right about 50 %. At the coronal slice, there are no significant differences toward patient proportion according to symm. / asymm. of the hippocampal formation width at the right and left side. Difference in volume average of hippocampal formation between right and left side for axial and coronal slice is not statistically significant, but it is significant for sagittal slice. In about amygdaloidal complex patients with PTSD toward symm. / asymm. Amygdaloidal complex at the right and left side of axial and sagittal slice in all three measurement shows asymmetry, what is especially shown at sagittal slice. Difference in average length of amygdaloidal complex at the right and left side is not statistically significant for no one slice.

Therefore, results of a new research that are used MRI, showed smaller hippocampal level at PTSD (researched by Van der Kolka 1996, Pitman 1996, Bremner et al., 1995.). Application of MRI technique in research of asymmetry of hippocampal formation and amygdaloidal complex, which we used in our research, we recommend as a template for future researches in a sense of lightening anatomic function that is a base of neuropsychiatric disorders.