Investigating amygdala nuclei volumes in military personnel with post-traumatic stress disorder, major depressive disorder, and adjustment disorder: A retrospective cross-sectional study using clinical routine data

Our findings suggest that, within this military population, amygdala nuclei volumes measured using routine clinical MRI data do not significantly differ among patients with PTSD, MDD, PTSD+MDD, and AdjD. This indicates that structural amygdala volumetry alone may not suffice to distinguish between these stress-related disorders in clinical settings. The study highlights the complexity of diagnosing overlapping mental health conditions and underscores the need for comprehensive approaches that integrate neuroimaging with clinical assessments. Future research should include healthy control groups, consider additional brain regions and functional connectivity, and employ longitudinal designs to better understand the temporal dynamics of amygdala changes and their relation to symptomatology.