Medicine and Health

The brain at war: effects of stress on brain structure in soldiers deployed to a war zone

S. Kühn, O. Butler, et al.

This research by Simone Kühn and colleagues uncovers significant brain structure changes in soldiers after deployment to war zones, revealing lasting volumetric reductions in key brain regions related to trauma exposure rather than PTSD vulnerability. The findings highlight the impact of combat experience on neurological health.

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Playback language: English

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Abstract

This study investigated the effects of war zone deployment on brain structure in soldiers. 121 soldiers were scanned before and after deployment, and compared to 40 non-deployed controls. Volumetric reductions were found in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), and bilateral thalamus in the deployed group. These reductions persisted beyond the deployment period and were not correlated with PTSD symptom severity, suggesting that these structural changes may be a consequence of trauma exposure rather than a pre-existing vulnerability for PTSD.

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Authors

Simone Kühn, Oisin Butler, Gerd Willmann, Ulrich Wesemann, Peter Zimmermann, Jürgen Gallinat

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