Journal of Traumatic Stress Disorders & TreatmentISSN: 2324-8947

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Research Article, J Trauma Stress Disord Treat Vol: 6 Issue: 1

Brain Structures in Pediatric Maltreatment Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: An MRI Prospective Study with Children and Adolescents Exposed to Multiple Violence

Ana Carolina Coelho Milani1*, Bernd Foerster2, Hugo Cogo1, Idaiane Batista de Assunção-Leme1, Marcelo Feijo Mello1 and Andrea Parolin Jackowski1
1Department of Psychiatry, Federal University of Sao Paulo, Brazil
2External collaborator, Physicist, Brazil
Corresponding author : Ana Carolina Coelho Milani
Department of Psychiatry, Federal University of Sao Paulo, Rua Borges Lagoa, 570-São Paulo-SP, Brazil
Tel: +55(11)50822860
E-mail: carol_milani@yahoo.com.br
Received: December 02, 2016 Accepted: December 14, 2016 Published: December 22, 2016
Citation: Milani ACC, Foerster B, Cogo H, Assunção-Leme IB, Mello MF, et al. (2016) Brain Structures in Pediatric Maltreatment Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: An MRI Prospective Study with Children and Adolescents Exposed to Multiple Violence. J Trauma Stress Disord Treat 6:1. doi: 10.4172/2324-8947.1000166

Abstract

Childhood maltreatment, which includes emotional abuse, sexual abuse, physical abuse and neglect (including witnessing domestic violence), is a global problem with several consequences, including pediatric posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The study goal was to investigate the structural alterations, through a prospective study, in PTSD/PTSS patients when compared with controls subjects (children exposed to violence but no disorder. A total of 29 children exposed to violence from 7-13 years were evaluated and matched with a healthy control group (n=9). No significant structural changes were observed in the PTSS,PTSD and exposed controls subjects at the baseline and neither when those groups were compared to the healthy control group (non-exposed children) after an one-year follow up. These data suggest that the non-statistical significant results in brain measures could be relate to small sample size and the chronicity of maltreatment and PTSD/PTSS. More longitudinal MRI brain research is warrant to clarify how structural changes affect brain anatomy.
 

Keywords: Child abuse; Violence; Brain imaging; Structural MRI

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