N-Acetylaspartate concentration in the anterior cingulate of maltreated children and adolescents with PTSD.

Abstract

Anterior cingulate dysfunction has been implicated in the pathophysiology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The authors hypothesized that integrity of the anterior cingulate may be affected in childhood PTSD. Single voxel proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (proton MRS) was used to measure the relative concentration of N-acetylaspartate and creatine, a marker of neural integrity, in the anterior cingulate of 11 children and adolescents who met DSM-IV criteria for PTSD secondary to maltreatment and 11 healthy matched comparison subjects. The ratio of N-acetylaspartate to creatine was significantly lower in the maltreated subjects with PTSD than in the comparison subjects. The lower N-acetylaspartate/creatine ratio in subjects with PTSD suggests that anterior cingulate neuronal metabolism may be altered in childhood PTSD.