A Meta-Analysis of Hippocampal and Amygdala Volumes in Patients Diagnosed With Dissociative Identity Disorder

Loading...
Thumbnail Image

Date

2021-01-12

Authors

Blihar, David
Crisafio, Anthony
Delgado, Elliott
Buryak, Marina
Gonzalez, Michael
Waechter, Randall

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Taylor & Francis Group

Abstract

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), an illness characterized by multiple personality states, has long been a controversial diagnosis within the psychiatric community. Demonstrating a neuroanatomical basis for the disorder may help to resolve the controversy. Current literature on the neuroanatomy associated with DID has focused on the hippocampus and amygdala and are inconclusive. This meta-analysis pools the results from n = 3 studies to compare the mean size of these two structures between DID patients, non-DID patients, and healthy controls. Patients diagnosed with both DID & PTSD were found to have smaller hippocampi bilaterally (p< .001) compared to healthy controls; no significant difference was seen in the amygdala. When comparing DID to PTSD patients, the left hippocampus was smaller (p< .001), with a trend for a smaller right hippocampus (p = .06). A comparison of the amygdala was not possible due to a lack of data. These findings suggest that a smaller hippocampus is seen in DID patients beyond what is seen for PTSD, provides neuroanatomical evidence for the memory impairment often seen in DID patients (i.e., amnesia experienced by the host and alters), and presents a potentially novel means to understand this disorder.

Description

14 pages

Keywords

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), multiple personality disorder, MRI, neuroanatomy, hippocampus, amygdala

Citation

David Blihar, Anthony Crisafio, Elliott Delgado, Marina Buryak, Michael Gonzalez & Randall Waechter (2021) A Meta-Analysis of Hippocampal and Amygdala Volumes in Patients Diagnosed With Dissociative Identity Disorder, Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, 22:3, 365-377, DOI: 10.1080/15299732.2020.1869650