Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 April 2019
The objective of this study is to evaluate the relationship between suicidal ideation (SI), structural brain damage, and cognitive deficits in patients with penetrating traumatic brain injury (pTBI).
Vietnam War veterans (n = 142) with pTBI to the prefrontal cortex (PFC) underwent combination of neuropsychological and psychiatric examinations and non-contrast CT brain scan. Patients were divided into SI positive (SI+) and SI negative (SI−) groups according to the SI item of the Beck Depression Inventory.
Lesions to the left rostrolateral PFC (rlPFC) were associated with a lower risk of SI independent of depression and global functioning. Left rlPFC lesion also reduced abstract reasoning skills, which mediated the lesion effects on suicide ideation.
The left rlPFC plays a crucial role in SI independently of depression and global functioning.
This work was supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke intramural research program and a project grant from the United Sates Army Medical Research and Material Command administered by the Henry M. Jackson Foundation (Vietnam Head Injury Study Phase III: A 30 Year Post-Injury Follow-Up Study, Grant number DAMD17-01-1-0675). We are grateful to S. Bonifant, B. Cheon, C. Ngo, A. Greathouse, K. Reding, and G. Tasick for their invaluable help with the testing of participants and organization of this study. We thank Sergio Paradiso, MD, for his insights on the possible effects of pTBI on SI.