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Persistent and reversible consequences of combat stress on the mesofrontal circuit and cognition.

ABSTRACT: Prolonged stress can have long-lasting effects on cognition. Animal models suggest that deficits in executive functioning could result from alterations within the mesofrontal circuit. We investigated this hypothesis in soldiers before and after deployment to Afghanistan and a control group using functional and diffusion tensor imaging. Combat stress reduced midbrain activity and integrity, which was associated to compromised sustained attention. Long-term follow-up showed that the functional and structural changes had normalized within 1.5 y. In contrast, combat stress induced a persistent reduction in functional connectivity between the midbrain and prefrontal cortex. These results demonstrate that combat stress has adverse effects on the human mesofrontal circuit and suggests that these alterations are partially reversible.

SUBMITTER: van Wingen GA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3458361 | biostudies-other | 2012 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Persistent and reversible consequences of combat stress on the mesofrontal circuit and cognition.

van Wingen Guido A GA   Geuze Elbert E   Caan Matthan W A MW   Kozicz Tamás T   Olabarriaga Silvia D SD   Denys Damiaan D   Vermetten Eric E   Fernández Guillén G  

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20120904 38

Prolonged stress can have long-lasting effects on cognition. Animal models suggest that deficits in executive functioning could result from alterations within the mesofrontal circuit. We investigated this hypothesis in soldiers before and after deployment to Afghanistan and a control group using functional and diffusion tensor imaging. Combat stress reduced midbrain activity and integrity, which was associated to compromised sustained attention. Long-term follow-up showed that the functional and  ...[more]