COMT Val158Met polymorphism moderates the association between PTSD symptom severity and hippocampal volume.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Memory-based alterations are among the hallmark symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and may be associated with the integrity of the hippocampus. However, neuroimaging studies of hippocampal volume in individuals with PTSD have yielded inconsistent results, raising the possibility that various moderators, such as genetic factors, may influence this association. We examined whether the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met polymorphism, which has previously been shown to be associated with hippocampal volume in healthy individuals, moderates the association between PTSD and hippocampal volume.

Methods

Recent war veterans underwent structural MRI on a 3 T scanner. We extracted volumes of the right and left hippocampus using FreeSurfer and adjuste

SUBMITTER: Hayes JP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5373706 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature