Research article summary:

Long-term treatment with paroxetine increases verbal declarative memory and hippocampal volume in posttraumatic stress disorder.

Abstract Extract:
BACKGROUND: Animal studies have shown that stress is associated with damage to the hippocampus, inhibition of neurogenesis, and deficits in hippocampal-based memory dysfunction. Studies in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) found deficits ... (Full abstract text below)

Published 2003Oct in Journal: Biol Psychiatry (Language : eng)

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1. Biol Psychiatry. 2003 Oct;54(7):693-702

Long-term treatment with paroxetine increases verbal declarative memory and hippocampal volume in posttraumatic stress disorder.

Vermetten E, Vythilingam M, Southwick SM, Charney DS, Bremner JD

Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

BACKGROUND: Animal studies have shown that stress is associated with damage to the hippocampus, inhibition of neurogenesis, and deficits in hippocampal-based memory dysfunction. Studies in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) found deficits in hippocampal-based declarative verbal memory and smaller hippocampal volume, as measured with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Recent preclinical evidence has shown that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors promote neurogenesis and reverse the effects of stress on hippocampal atrophy. This study assessed the effects of long-term treatment with paroxetine on hippocampal volume and declarative memory performance in PTSD. METHODS: Declarative memory was assessed with the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised and Selective Reminding Test before and after 9-12 months of treatment with paroxetine in PTSD. Hippocampal volume was measured with MRI. Of the 28 patients who started the protocol, 23 completed the full course of treatment and neuropsychological testing. Twenty patients were able to complete MRI imaging. RESULTS: Patients with PTSD showed a significant improvement in PTSD symptoms with treatment. Treatment resulted in significant improvements in verbal declarative memory and a 4.6% increase in mean hippocampal volume. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that long-term treatment with paroxetine is associated with improvement of verbal declarative memory deficits and an increase in hippocampal volume in PTSD.

PMID : 14512209 [PubMed - Indexed for MEDLINE]

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Full Author Information

First Name	LastName	Initials
Eric	Vermetten	E
Meena	Vythilingam	M
Steven M	Southwick	SM
Dennis S	Charney	DS
J Douglas	Bremner	JD

Affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

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Category links from this article:

Adult
Brain Mapping
Case-Control Studies
Female
Hippocampus - drug effects, physiology
Humans
Individuality
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Memory - drug effects
Middle Aged
Neuropsychological Tests
Paroxetine - therapeutic use
Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors - therapeutic use
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - drug therapy, pathology, physiopathology
Time
Verbal Learning - drug effects
Wechsler Scales

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