{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.04063604240282685, 'fraction_numerical': 0.024734982332155476, 'mean_word_length': 5.200729927007299, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 2, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
Diffusion tensor imaging study of brain structural integrity in patients with posttraumatic stress disorders

Objective: To explore the changes of brain structural integrity in patients with posttraumatic stress disorders (PTSD) using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Patients and Methods: Twenty PTSD patients who underwent a traffic accident and 20 non-PTSD patients were selected from the Department of Rehabilitation, Southwest Hospital of the Third Military Medical University in Chongqing, China, between January 2007 and December 2013. Using voxel-based analysis, we investigated fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) in PTSD patients. Linear correlation analysis was employed to detect the relationship between FA and MD in regions of interest, and to obtain PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version scores. Results: When compared with the non-PTSD group, the FA of PTSD patients significantly decreased in bilateral middle frontal gyrus, right superior frontal gyrus, and left putamen (P < 0.005). The MD of PTSD patients increased mainly in bilateral middle frontal gyrus, anterior cingulate cortex, left amygdala, left insula, and left globus pallidus (P <0.005). Pearson correlation analysis revealed that the FA value of right middle frontal cortex (MFC) had a significant negative correlation with the PTSD score (r = −0.628, P = 0.039), while the MD value of right MFC and left amygdala had a significant positive correlation with the PTSD score (r = 0.630, P = 0.047; r = 0.632, P = 0.041, respectively). Conclusion: The abnormalities of structural integrity in the amygdala and middle frontal gyrus may be the structural foundation of emotional and memory dysfunction in PTSD.