Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38045556›Full record

ArticleNeurobiology of stress2024

Cortical volume alteration in the superior parietal region mediates the relationship between childhood abuse and PTSD avoidance symptoms: A complementary multimodal neuroimaging study.

Richard Okyere Nkrumah, Claudius von Schröder, Traute Demirakca, Christian Schmahl, Gabriele Ende

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Neurobiology of stress, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. The moderating effect of lifetime physical activity on brain alterations related to adverse childhood experiences.European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists · 2025
    Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Richard Okyere NkrumahDepartment of Neuroimaging, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, 68159, Mannheim, Germany.
Claudius von SchröderDepartment of Psychosomatic Medicine & Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, 68159, Mannheim, Germany.
Traute DemirakcaDepartment of Neuroimaging, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, 68159, Mannheim, Germany.
Christian SchmahlDepartment of Psychosomatic Medicine & Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, 68159, Mannheim, Germany.
Gabriele EndeDepartment of Neuroimaging, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, 68159, Mannheim, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACE), which can be separated into abuse and neglect, contribute to the development of post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). However, which brain structures are mainly affected by ACE as well as the mediating role these brain structures play in ACE and PTSS relationship are still being investigated. The current study tested the effect of ACE on brain structure and investigated the latter's mediating role in ACE-PTSS relationship. Methods: A total of 78 adults with self-reported ACE were included in this study. Participants completed the childhood trauma questionnaire (CTQ) and a Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) to ascertain ACE history and PTSS, respectively. T1w images and diffusion MRI scans were then acquired to assess cortical morphometry and white matter (WM) integrity in fibre tracts connecting key areas where ACE-related cortical volume alterations were observed. Results: The combined effect of ACE was negatively associated with total grey matter volume and local cortical area in the right superior parietal region (rSP). Childhood abuse was negatively related to right superior parietal volume after controlling for neglect and overall psychological burden. The right superior parietal volume significantly mediated the relationship between childhood abuse and avoidance-related PTSS. Post-hoc analyses showed that the indirect relation was subsequently moderated by dissociative symptoms. Lastly, a complementary examination of the WM tracts connected to abuse-associated cortical GM regions shows that abuse was negatively related to the normalised fibre density of WM tracts connected to the right superior parietal region. Conclusion: We provide multimodal structural evidence that ACE in the first years of life is related to alterations in the right superior brain region, which plays a crucial role in spatial processing and attentional functioning. Additionally, we highlight that the cortical volume alteration in this region may play a role in explaining the relationship between childhood abuse and avoidance symptoms.

Indexed as

Adverse childhood experiencesChild abuseCortical morphologyPost-traumatic stress symptomsWhite-matter tractography

Identifiers

PMID38045556
PMCPMC10689271

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.