• Eric Vermetten, Christian Schmahl, Sanneke Lindner, Richard J Loewenstein, and J Douglas Bremner.
• Department of Psychiatry, Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neurosciences, University Medical Center, Int mailbox B01206, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, The Netherlands. e.vermetten@umcutrecht.nl
• Am J Psychiatry. 2006 Apr 1;163(4):630-6.

ObjectiveSmaller hippocampal volume has been reported in several stress-related psychiatric disorders, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), borderline personality disorder with early abuse, and depression with early abuse. Patients with borderline personality disorder and early abuse have also been found to have smaller amygdalar volume. The authors examined hippocampal and amygdalar volumes in patients with dissociative identity disorder, a disorder that has been associated with a history of severe childhood trauma.MethodThe authors used magnetic resonance imaging to measure the volumes of the hippocampus and amygdala in 15 female patients with dissociative identity disorder and 23 female subjects without dissociative identity disorder or any other psychiatric disorder. The volumetric measurements for the two groups were compared.ResultsHippocampal volume was 19.2% smaller and amygdalar volume was 31.6% smaller in the patients with dissociative identity disorder, compared to the healthy subjects. The ratio of hippocampal volume to amygdalar volume was significantly different between groups.ConclusionsThe findings are consistent with the presence of smaller hippocampal and amygdalar volumes in patients with dissociative identity disorder, compared with healthy subjects.

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