Functional near-infrared spectroscopy brain imaging predicts symptom severity in youth exposed to traumatic stress

Balters, Stephanie; Li, Rihui; Espil, Flint M.; Piccirilli, Aaron; Liu, Ning; Gundran, Andrew; Carrión, Victor G.; Weems, Carl F.; Cohen, Judith A.; Reiss, Allan L.

doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.10.020

Cited by 12 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…In this context, it is important to highlight that we chose a conservative approach to simulate the penetration depth for the fNIRS sensitivity maps. Actual fNIRS data from youths with PTSD demonstrate that fNIRS can detect left dlPFC activity during the facial expression task [50]. Future research is necessary to extend this proof-of-concept to concurrent fNIRS-fMRI assessment to demonstrate the feasibility of the deep brain inference method with actual fNIRS data.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Fearful and angry faces have been extensively used to elicit emotion regulation responses (Sabatinelli et al 2011). In addition, a growing body of research on pediatric PTSD suggests that neutral faces elicit activation in regions important for threat processing (Garrett et al 2012; Keding and Herringa 2016; Garrett et al 2019; Balters et al 2021). Scrambled images were used as the contrasting condition.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For this proof-of-concept study, we utilized an existing fMRI dataset [29]. Youths with PTSD ( N =20) and healthy controls ( N =20) were scanned using fMRI as they engaged in a facial expression task that reliably activates emotion regulation circuits (Carrion et al 2010; Cisler et al 2016; Garrett et al 2019; Balters et al 2021). We extracted cortical and subcortical activity from regions of interest defined by anatomical atlases (Frazier et al 2005; Desikan et al 2006; Makris et al 2006; Goldstein et al 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Towards Assessing Subcortical “Deep Brain” Biomarkers of PTSD with Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

Balters

Schlichting

Foland‐Ross

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Assessment of brain function with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is limited to the outer regions of the cortex. Previously, we demonstrated the feasibility of inferring activity in subcortical "deep brain" regions using cortical fMRI and fNIRS activity in healthy adults. Access to subcortical regions subserving emotion and arousal using affordable and portable fNIRS is likely to be transformative for clinical diagnostic and treatment planning. Here, we validate the feasibility of inferring activity in subcortical regions that are central to the pathophysiology of PTSD (i.e., amygdala and hippocampus) using cortical fMRI and simulated fNIRS activity in a sample of adolescents diagnosed with PTSD (N=20, mean age=15.3, SD=1.9 years) and age-matched healthy controls (N=20, mean age=14.5, SD=2.0 years) as they performed a facial expression task. We tested different prediction models, including linear regression, a multi-layer perceptron neural network, and a k-nearest neighbors model. Inference of subcortical fMRI activity with cortical fMRI showed high prediction performance for the amygdala (r>0.91) and hippocampus (r>0.95) in both groups. Using fNIRS simulated data, relatively high prediction performance for deep brain regions was maintained in healthy controls (r>0.79), as well as in youths with PTSD (r>0.75). The linear regression and neural network models provided the best predictions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Towards Assessing Subcortical “Deep Brain” Biomarkers of PTSD with Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

Balters

Schlichting

Foland‐Ross

et al. 2022

Preprint

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“…In the present study we reapplied our predictive model to assess whether it was possible to predict PTSD symptom improvement over the course of treatment (pre, post, and follow up) from fNIRS cortical signatures at T1. We present a methodological summary of the predictive fNIRS neuroimaging model below, and (see Balters et al, 2021 for additional details..…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In a first attempt to establish brain biomarkers of pediatric PTSD in an affordable and portable manner, Balters and colleagues (2021) examined functional activity among youth (n = 57) with TRACES and PTSD using a functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) neuroimaging system. Hemodynamic responses were measured while participants engaged in a classic emotion expression task that included fearful and neutral face stimuli.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cortical activation predicts posttraumatic improvement in youth treated with TF-CBT or CCT

Espil

Balters

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Background: Identifying neural activation patterns that predict youths' treatment response may aid in the development of imaging-based assessment of emotion dysregulation following trauma and foster tailored intervention. Changes in cortical hemodynamic activity measured with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) may provide a time and cost-effective option for such work. We examined youths' PTSD symptom change following treatment and tested if previously identified activation patterns would predict treatment response. Methods: Youth (N = 73, mean age = 12.97, SD = 3.09 years) were randomly assigned to trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), cue-centered therapy (CCT), or treatment as usual (TAU). Parents and youth reported on youth's PTSD symptoms at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up. Neuroimaging data (N = 31) assessed at pre-intervention were obtained while youth engaged in an emotion expression task. Treatment response slopes were calculated for youth's PTSD symptoms. Results: Overall, PTSD symptoms decreased from pre-intervention through follow-up across conditions, with some evidence of relative benefit of TF-CBT and CCT over TAU but significant individual variation in treatment response. Cortical activation patterns were correlated with PTSD symptom improvement slopes (r = 0.53). In particular, cortical responses to fearful and neutral facial stimuli in six fNIRS channels in the bilateral dlPFC were important predictors of PTSD symptom improvement. Conclusions: The use of fNIRS provides a method of monitoring and assessing cortical activation patterns in a relatively inexpensive and portable manner. Associations between functional activation and youths' PTSD symptoms improvement may be a promising avenue for understanding emotion dysregulation in clinical populations.

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Associations between brain network, puberty, and behaviors in boys with Klinefelter syndrome

Li,

Foland-Ross,

Jordan

et al. 2024

Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry

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Functional near-infrared spectroscopy brain imaging predicts symptom severity in youth exposed to traumatic stress

Cited by 12 publications

References 67 publications

Towards Assessing Subcortical “Deep Brain” Biomarkers of PTSD with Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

Towards Assessing Subcortical “Deep Brain” Biomarkers of PTSD with Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

Cortical activation predicts posttraumatic improvement in youth treated with TF-CBT or CCT

Associations between brain network, puberty, and behaviors in boys with Klinefelter syndrome

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