Posttraumatic survivor guilt is associated with white matter microstructure alterations.

Background: Military veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) commonly experience posttraumatic guilt. Guilt over commission or omission evolves when responsibility is assumed for an unfortunate outcome (e.g.

Sleep Quality Disturbances Are Associated with White Matter Alterations in Veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.

Sleep disturbances are strongly associated with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD and mTBI have been linked to alterations in white matter (WM) microstructure, but whether poor sleep quality has a compounding effect on WM remains largely unknown. We evaluated sleep and diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) data from 180 male post-9/11 veterans diagnosed with (1) PTSD ( = 38), (2) mTBI ( = 25), (3) comorbid PTSD+mTBI ( = 94), and (4) a control group with neither PTSD nor mTBI ( = 23).

White Matter Microstructure Is Associated with Serum Neuroactive Steroids and Psychological Functioning.

Military service members are at increased risk for mental health issues, and comorbidity with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is common. Largely overlapping symptoms between conditions suggest a shared pathophysiology. The present work investigates the associations among white matter microstructure, psychological functioning, and serum neuroactive steroids that are part of the stress-response system.

Association of War Zone-Related Stress With Alterations in Limbic Gray Matter Microstructure.

Importance: Military service members returning from theaters of war are at increased risk for mental illness, but despite high prevalence and substantial individual and societal burden, the underlying pathomechanisms remain largely unknown. Exposure to high levels of emotional stress in theaters of war and mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) are presumed factors associated with risk for the development of mental disorders.

Objective: To investigate (1) whether war zone-related stress is associated with microstructural alterations in limbic gray matter (GM) independent of mental disorders common in this population, (2) whether associations between war zone-related stress and limbic GM microstructure are modulated by a history of mTBI, and (3) whether alterations in limbic GM microstructure are associated with neuropsychological functioning.

Exposure to Repetitive Head Impacts Is Associated With Corpus Callosum Microstructure and Plasma Total Tau in Former Professional American Football Players.

Background: Exposure to repetitive head impacts (RHI) is associated with an increased risk of later-life neurobehavioral dysregulation and neurodegenerative disease. The underlying pathomechanisms are largely unknown.

Purpose: To investigate whether RHI exposure is associated with later-life corpus callosum (CC) microstructure and whether CC microstructure is associated with plasma total tau and neuropsychological/neuropsychiatric functioning.