Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society

Table of Contents - 01 November 2009 - Volume 15, Issue 06  

Symposia

Hippocampal volume and declarative memory function in combat-related PTSD

STEVEN H. WOODWARDa1 c1, DANNY G. KALOUPEKa2a3, LAURA J. GRANDEa4, WENDY K. STEGMANa5, CATHERINE J. KUTTERa6, LORAINE LESKINa7, REBECCA PRESTELa2, MARIE SCHAERa8a9, ALLAN L. REISSa10 and STEPHAN ELIEZa8

a1 Dissemination and Training Division, National Center for PTSD, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, California

a2 Behavioral Science Division, National Center for PTSD, VA New England Health Care System, Boston, Massachusetts

a3 Division of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts

a4 Psychology Service, VA New England Health Care System, Boston, Massachusetts

a5 Earth Systems, Melbourne, Australia

a6 Psychology Service, White River Junction Veterans Affairs Medical Center, White River Junction, Vermont

a7 Psychology Service, VA Greater Los Angeles Health Care System, Los Angeles, California

a8 Department of Psychiatry, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland

a9 Signal Processing Laboratory, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, Switzerland

a10 Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University Medical School, Stanford, California

Abstract

The proposition that declarative memory deficits are systematically related to smaller hippocampal volume was tested in a relatively large sample (n = 95) of U.S. military veterans with and without combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder. This correlative analysis was extended by including multiple measures of verbal and visual declarative memory and multiple memory-relevant regional brain volumes that had been shown to exhibit main effects of PTSD in prior work. Small-to-moderate effects were observed on verbal declarative memory in line with a recent meta-analysis; nevertheless, little or no evidence of systematic linear covariation between memory measures and brain volumes was observed. (JINS, 2009, 15, 830–839.)

(Received December 09 2008)

(Reviewed May 11 2009)

(Accepted May 11 2009)

Keywords

Correspondence:

c1 Correspondence and reprint requests to: Steven H. Woodward, Ph.D., Dissemination and Training Division, National Center for PTSD, Mail Code 334 PTSD, VA Palo Alto HCS, 3801 Miranda Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94304. E-mail: steve.woodward@va.gov

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