Post-traumatic Stress Disorder symptom sub-cluster severity predicts gray matter volume changes better than overall symptom severity

Meta-analysis shows that sub-clusters defined by affected domains of psychosocial functioning capture PTSD subtypes better than symptom clusters defined in the DSM-IV. This pilot study investigated the association between symptom sub-clusters and brain volume in twelve persons with PTSD (females, mean age 40.9 years). Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images were acquired, and voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was used to estimate local gray matter volume throughout the brain. Participants’ gray matter volume was correlated with both overall PTSD severity and sub-cluster severities. In this preliminary study examining sub-clusters and brain morphometry, we found that neuronal changes associated with sub-clusters may provide a more complete understanding of the neuroanatomical changes that occur in PTSD beyond what can be ascertained using overall disorder severity or comparisons with control subjects. The results of our study suggest that the neurobiological changes resulting from severe trauma depend on the specific sub-clusters of symptoms experienced by individuals with PTSD. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. ### Funding Statement This study was supported by the following grants from the United States National Institutes of Health: P20MH068450 and P20RR023501. ### Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: the Ethics/Committee IRB of Georgetown University Medical Center gave ethical approval for this work. I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines and uploaded the relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material as supplementary files, if applicable. Yes All data produced in the present study are available upon reasonable request to the authors.