Can PTSD cause dementia? Imaging of 9/11 first responders suggests it's possible
First responders to the World Trade Centers terrorist attacks on 9/11 display who are affected by cognitive impairment (CI) and post-traumatic stress disorder display early signs of neurodegeneration that are unique to their experiences.
Compared to World Trade Center (WTC) responders who have not been diagnosed with PTSD, those who had received the diagnosis were observed to have decreased fractional anisotropy (FA) of white matter tracts on their brain MRIs. Experts involved with the new study suggested that these findings could indicate that these WTC responders are suffering from what represent a new form of dementia.
“Overall, the study supports the view that responders with CI have neurological changes consistent with neurodegenerative disease, but they are inconclusive as to the type of disease,” lead author of the study Sean Clouston, PhD, Associate Professor in the Program in Public Health and Department of Family, Population, and Preventive Medicine at Stony Brook University said. “Our findings do show that dementia due to PTSD is clearly different from non-PTSD dementia in this responder population.”
The research used cognitive assessments and PTSD evaluations, in addition to diffusion tensor imaging of the brains of 99 WTC responders to conduct a connectometry analysis. Approximately 8% of the participants included in the study had developed early-onset cognitive impairments, and an additional 23% had also received a diagnosis of chronic PTSD.
After adjusting for confounders, the experts found that FA was negatively correlated with cognitive impairment and PTSD status in the fornix, cingulum, forceps minor of the corpus callosum and the right uncinate fasciculus. In addition, FA was found to be negatively correlated with PTSD status, regardless of CI status in the superior thalamic radiation and the cerebellum.
The experts noted that these patterns were not consistent with those seen in age-related Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia, prompting them to suggest that these findings could be unique to their combination of symptoms subsequent to their traumatic experiences.
“Results from this study suggest that WTC responders with early-onset CI may be experiencing an early neurodegenerative process characterized by decreased FA in white matter tracts.”
The study abstract can be viewed in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
In addition to her background in journalism, Hannah also has patient-facing experience in clinical settings, having spent more than 12 years working as a registered rad tech. She joined Innovate Healthcare in 2021 and has since put her unique expertise to use in her editorial role with Health Imaging.