Right temporal cortical hypertrophy in resilience to trauma: an MRI study

In studies employing physiological measures such as MRI, it is often difficult to disentangle pre-existing risk or resilience factors for PTSD from the structural consequences of trauma exposure itself. This study investigated morphological brain differences 7–8 years after a single, acute potentially traumatic event. Twenty-four survivors of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami and 25 matched controls underwent structural MRI using a 3T scanner. Cortical thickness maps and sub-cortical volumes were computed and compared.

Trauma-exposed participants showed greater cortical thickness in a right-lateralised temporal lobe region encompassing anterior fusiform gyrus and superior, middle, and inferior temporal gyri. This pattern of cortical hypertrophy may reflect altered emotional semantic memory processing and could be a structural correlate of resilience to the long-term effects of trauma — though methodological and confounding considerations warrant cautious interpretation.

This paper represents one of the first major scientific contributions produced during the master’s period, and was the culmination of a project begun in 2012 examining the neuroanatomy of trauma survivors.

Contributions: Responsible for analysis, interpretation, and manuscript.

Recommended citation: Nilsen, A. S., Hilland, E., Kogstad, N., Heir, T., Hauff, E., Lien, L., & Endestad, T. (2016). Right temporal cortical hypertrophy in resilience to trauma: an MRI study. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 7. http://doi.org/10.3402/ejpt.v7.31314
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