Differential relationships of PTSD symptom clusters with cortical thickness and grey matter volumes among women with PTSD

Abstract

Structural neuroimaging studies of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have typically reported reduced cortical thickness (CT) and gray matter volume (GMV) in subcortical structures and networks involved in memory retrieval, emotional processing and regulation, and fear acquisition and extinction. Although PTSD is more common in women, and interpersonal violence (IPV) exposure is a more potent risk factor for developing PTSD relative to other forms of trauma, most of the existing literature examined combat-exposed men with PTSD. Vertex-wise CT and subcortical GMV analyses were conducted to examine potential differences in a large, well-characterized sample of women with PTSD stemming from IPV-exposure (n = 99) compared to healthy trauma-free women without a diagnosis of PTSD (n = 22). Subgroup analyses were also conducted to determine whether symptom severity within specific PTSD symptom clusters (e.g., re-experiencing, active avoidance, hyperarousal) predict CT and GMV after controlling for comorbid depression and anxiety. Results indicated that a diagnosis of PTSD in women with IPV-exposure did not significantly predict differences in CT across the cortex or GMV in the amygdala or hippocampus compared to healthy controls. However, within the PTSD group, greater re-experiencing symptom severity was associated with decreased CT in the left inferior and middle temporal gyrus, and decreased CT in the right parahippocampal and medial temporal gyrus. In contrast, greater active avoidance symptom severity was associated with greater CT in the left lateral fissure, postcentral gyrus, and middle/lateral occipital cortex, and greater CT in the right paracentral, posterior cingulate, and superior occipital gyrus. In terms of GMV, greater hyperarousal symptom severity was associated with reduced left amygdala GMV, while greater active avoidance symptom severity was associated with greater right amygdala GMV. These findings suggest that structural brain alterations among women with IPV-related PTSD may be driven by symptom severity within specific symptom clusters and that PTSD symptom clusters may have a differential (increased or decreased) association with brain structures.

Structural Covariance Networks in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Multisite ENIGMA-PGC Study

“…Starting with emerging adults (15-20 years and 20-30 years) and other age groups, we saw multiple nodes having centrality differences in all brain lobes with heavy conglomeration in the occipital regions. This advocates for disrupted frontolimbic circuitry in pediatric PTSD, consistent with previous studies (Herringa, 2017) and disproportionately heavy occipital involvement in adult PTSD (Chao, Lenoci, & Neylan, 2012; Crombie et al, 2021).…”

“…By contrast, female subjects with PTSD showed higher centrality than female controls in bilateral frontal and temporal lobes, including the bilateral insula. Areas like the vmPFC (Kuhn & Gallinat, 2013), anterior cingulate (Clausen et al, 2020) and superior occipital gyrus (Crombie, Ross, Letkiewicz, Sartin-Tarm, & Cisler, 2021) have been implicated in pathophysiology of PTSD. However, they have not shown sex differences in previous studies but showed differences in our SCN analyses.…”

The influence of FAAH genetic variation on physiological, cognitive, and neural signatures of fear acquisition and extinction learning in women with PTSD

“…All study procedures were approved by the respective Institutional Review Boards at UAMS and UW. Inclusion criteria consisted of female sex, age 21–50 years, and current diagnosis of PTSD related to assaultive violence exposure ( Crombie et al, 2021c ). PTSD diagnosis and symptom severity was assessed using the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5; ( Weathers et al, 2013 , Weathers et al, 2018 )).…”

Machine learning for post‐traumatic stress disorder identification utilizing resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging

“…Most recently, in the current COVID19 pandemic, millions of people worldwide have been suffering from PTSD disease (Pfefferbaum & North, 2020). Psychologically and epigenetically, women are more susceptible to PTSD than men (Christiansen & Berke, 2020; Crombie et al, 2021). Additionally, the children also have a high rate of PTSD (Dutheil et al, 2021; Rehman et al, 2020).…”