Subclinical post-traumatic stress symptomology and brain structure in youth with chronic headaches.

ABSTRACT:

Background/aims

Post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and chronic pain often co-occur at high rates in youth. PTSS may alter brain structure thereby contributing to headache chronicity. This study examined whether PTSS and altered limbic circuitry were associated with headache frequency in youth.

Methods

Thirty youth aged 10-18 years with chronic headaches and 30 age- and sex-matched controls underwent a 3T MRI scan. Volumes of the hippocampus and amygdala were obtained from T1-weighted images. Mean fractional anisotropy (FA, an index of white matter structure) axial and radial diffusivity values of the cingulum and uncinate fasciculus were extracted from diffusion-weighted images. Youth reported on their headaches daily, for one-month, and self-reported pubertal status, emo

SUBMITTER: Miller JV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8053811 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature