Gray Matter Alterations Associated With Dissociation in Female Survivors of Childhood Trauma
ObjectiveAcross various axis-1 disorders, the severity of dissociative symptoms is significantly related to a history of childhood traumatization. Thus, the question arises if coping with childhood trauma leads to neural adaptations that enhance the frequency of dissociative processing during adulth...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2019-04-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00738/full |
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| author | Judith K. Daniels Judith K. Daniels Anna Schulz Julia Schellong Pengfei Han Fabian Rottstädt Kersten Diers Kerstin Weidner Ilona Croy |
| author_facet | Judith K. Daniels Judith K. Daniels Anna Schulz Julia Schellong Pengfei Han Fabian Rottstädt Kersten Diers Kerstin Weidner Ilona Croy |
| author_sort | Judith K. Daniels |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ObjectiveAcross various axis-1 disorders, the severity of dissociative symptoms is significantly related to a history of childhood traumatization. Thus, the question arises if coping with childhood trauma leads to neural adaptations that enhance the frequency of dissociative processing during adulthood. The aim of the two reported studies therefore was to identify and replicate gray matter alterations associated with dissociation.Methods and ResultsIn a first study, whole-brain MRI data were acquired for 22 female in-patients with trauma-spectrum disorders and a history of severe childhood trauma. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was carried out to test for significant correlations between dissociation (depersonalization/derealization) severity and gray matter volume. Dissociation severity was positively associated with volume in the left angular gyrus. This result was diagnosis-invariant. The replication study involved 26 female in-patients with trauma-spectrum disorders and 25 healthy controls. No significant association between dissociation severity and brain volume in a left angular gyrus region of interest located at the peak identified in study 1 was identified and no significant group difference in this region could be established.ConclusionThe angular gyrus has previously been implicated in the processing of agency and vestibular integration as well as dissociative processing. The current attempt at a direct replication of brain volume alterations however, failed. The data thus only partially support the notion that dissociative processing is associated trans-diagnostically with structural brain alterations in the left angular gyrus and independent replication in a larger patient sample is essential. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T06:48:31Z |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T06:48:31Z |
| publishDate | 2019-04-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-382f0e6d9706452eb6507ba73072795c2022-12-22T01:58:36ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782019-04-011010.3389/fpsyg.2019.00738435148Gray Matter Alterations Associated With Dissociation in Female Survivors of Childhood TraumaJudith K. Daniels0Judith K. Daniels1Anna Schulz2Julia Schellong3Pengfei Han4Fabian Rottstädt5Kersten Diers6Kerstin Weidner7Ilona Croy8Division of Clinical Psychology and Experimental Psychopathology, Department of Psychology, University of Groningen, Groningen, NetherlandsPsychologische Hochschule Berlin, Berlin, GermanyAbteilung für Psychotherapie und Psychosomatik, Medizinische Fakultät Dresden, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, GermanyAbteilung für Psychotherapie und Psychosomatik, Medizinische Fakultät Dresden, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, GermanyAbteilung für Psychologie, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, GermanyAbteilung für Psychotherapie und Psychosomatik, Medizinische Fakultät Dresden, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, GermanyAbteilung für Hals-Nasen-Ohren-Heilkunde, Medizinische Fakultät Dresden, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, GermanyAbteilung für Psychotherapie und Psychosomatik, Medizinische Fakultät Dresden, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, GermanyAbteilung für Psychotherapie und Psychosomatik, Medizinische Fakultät Dresden, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, GermanyObjectiveAcross various axis-1 disorders, the severity of dissociative symptoms is significantly related to a history of childhood traumatization. Thus, the question arises if coping with childhood trauma leads to neural adaptations that enhance the frequency of dissociative processing during adulthood. The aim of the two reported studies therefore was to identify and replicate gray matter alterations associated with dissociation.Methods and ResultsIn a first study, whole-brain MRI data were acquired for 22 female in-patients with trauma-spectrum disorders and a history of severe childhood trauma. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was carried out to test for significant correlations between dissociation (depersonalization/derealization) severity and gray matter volume. Dissociation severity was positively associated with volume in the left angular gyrus. This result was diagnosis-invariant. The replication study involved 26 female in-patients with trauma-spectrum disorders and 25 healthy controls. No significant association between dissociation severity and brain volume in a left angular gyrus region of interest located at the peak identified in study 1 was identified and no significant group difference in this region could be established.ConclusionThe angular gyrus has previously been implicated in the processing of agency and vestibular integration as well as dissociative processing. The current attempt at a direct replication of brain volume alterations however, failed. The data thus only partially support the notion that dissociative processing is associated trans-diagnostically with structural brain alterations in the left angular gyrus and independent replication in a larger patient sample is essential.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00738/fullchildhood traumadissociationVBMgray mattertemporoparietal junctionposttraumatic stress disorder |
| spellingShingle | Judith K. Daniels Judith K. Daniels Anna Schulz Julia Schellong Pengfei Han Fabian Rottstädt Kersten Diers Kerstin Weidner Ilona Croy Gray Matter Alterations Associated With Dissociation in Female Survivors of Childhood Trauma Frontiers in Psychology childhood trauma dissociation VBM gray matter temporoparietal junction posttraumatic stress disorder |
| title | Gray Matter Alterations Associated With Dissociation in Female Survivors of Childhood Trauma |
| title_full | Gray Matter Alterations Associated With Dissociation in Female Survivors of Childhood Trauma |
| title_fullStr | Gray Matter Alterations Associated With Dissociation in Female Survivors of Childhood Trauma |
| title_full_unstemmed | Gray Matter Alterations Associated With Dissociation in Female Survivors of Childhood Trauma |
| title_short | Gray Matter Alterations Associated With Dissociation in Female Survivors of Childhood Trauma |
| title_sort | gray matter alterations associated with dissociation in female survivors of childhood trauma |
| topic | childhood trauma dissociation VBM gray matter temporoparietal junction posttraumatic stress disorder |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00738/full |
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