The Open Psychiatry Journal

2015, 9 : 7-10
Published online 2015 June 17. DOI: 10.2174/1874354401509010007
Publisher ID: TOPJ-9-7

Hippocampal Volumes in a Sample of Trauma Patients: A Possible Neuro- Protective Effect of Dissociation

Colin A. Ross , Caitlin Goode and Elizabeth Schroeder
The Colin A. Ross Institute for Psychological Trauma, 1701 Gateway, #349, TX 7508, USA.

ABSTRACT

Background: We sought to determine hippocampal volumes in a sample of inpatients in a Trauma Program specializing in posttraumatic stress disorder and dissociative disorders.

Methods: We measured whole brain and left and right hippocampal volumes on MRI in a sample of 20 inpatients in a Trauma Program and 20 controls.

Results: There were no differences between the two groups. Nineteen inpatients also completed a set of diagnostic and symptom measures; 16 met criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); the average score on the Dissociative Experiences Scale was (M = 45.4, SD = 20.1); and the average score on the secondary features of dissociative identity disorder section of the Dissociative Disorders Interview Schedule was (M = 9.1, SD = 4.9).

Conclusion: We hypothesized that dissociation may have a neuro-protective effect, which accounts for the normal hippocampal volumes in the patients, despite their PTSD and trauma histories.

Keywords:

Childhood trauma, dissociation, dissociative disorders, hippocampal volume, MRI, posttraumatic stress disorder.