Neighborhood Socioeconomic Disadvantage and the Neurobiology of Uncertainty in Traumatically Injured Adults

Tomas, Carissa W.; Webb, E. Kate; Bennett, Kenneth P.; Huggins, Ashley A.; Fitzgerald, Jacklynn M.; Miskovich, Tara A.; Krukowki, Jessica; deRoon‐Cassini, Terri; Larson, Christine L.

doi:10.1016/j.bpsgos.2022.02.006

Cited by 8 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 60 publications

(83 reference statements)

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“…Rakesh et al (2021) teased apart the distinct and shared effects of neighborhood disadvantage and household SEP, demonstrating interactive effects between the two different measures on resting-state networks, and further highlighting individual SEP does not fully account for neighborhood effects. Taskbased neuroimaging indicates neighborhood disadvantage helps explain individual differences in affective and cognitive domains (Gard et al, 2018;Tomlinson et al, 2020;Huggins et al, 2022;Tomas et al, 2022). For example, Tomlinson and colleagues demonstrated neighborhood disadvantage was related to neural and behavioral correlates of response inhibition (i.e., cognitive domain).…”

Section: Neural Correlates Of Neighborhood Socioeconomic Disadvantagementioning

confidence: 99%

Radically reframing studies on neurobiology and socioeconomic circumstances: A call for social justice-oriented neuroscience

Webb

Cardenas‐Iniguez

Douglas

2022

Front. Integr. Neurosci.

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Socioeconomic circumstances are associated with symptoms and diagnostic status of nearly all mental health conditions. Given these robust relationships, neuroscientists have attempted to elucidate how socioeconomic-based adversity “gets under the skin.” Historically, this work emphasized individual proxies of socioeconomic position (e.g., income, education), ignoring the effects of broader socioeconomic contexts (e.g., neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage) which may uniquely contribute to chronic stress. This omission represented a disconnect between neuroscience and other allied fields that have recognized health is undeniably linked to interactions between systems of power and individual characteristics. More recently, neuroscience work has considered how sociopolitical context affects brain structure and function; however, the products of this exciting line of research have lacked critical sociological and historical perspectives. While empirical evidence on this topic is burgeoning, the cultural, ethical, societal, and legal implications of this work have been elusive. Although the mechanisms by which socioeconomic circumstances impact brain structure and function may be similar across people, not everyone is exposed to these factors at similar rates. Individuals from ethnoracially minoritized groups are disproportionally exposed to neighborhood disadvantage. Thus, socioeconomic inequities examined in neuroscience research are undergirding with other forms of oppression, namely structural racism. We utilize a holistic, interdisciplinary approach to interpret findings from neuroscience research and interweave relevant theories from the fields of public health, social sciences, and Black feminist thought. In this perspective piece, we discuss the complex relationship that continues to exist between academic institutions and underserved surrounding communities, acknowledging the areas in which neuroscience research has historically harmed and/or excluded structurally disadvantaged communities. We conclude by envisioning how this work can be used; not just to inform policymakers, but also to engage and partner with communities and shape the future direction of human neuroscience research.

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Section: Neural Correlates Of Neighborhood Socioeconomic Disadvantagementioning

confidence: 99%

Radically reframing studies on neurobiology and socioeconomic circumstances: A call for social justice-oriented neuroscience

Webb

Cardenas‐Iniguez

Douglas

2022

Front. Integr. Neurosci.

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“…Neighborhood disadvantage is associated with changes in brain regions (eg, the hippocampus, amygdala, and ventromedial prefrontal cortex) supporting the detection of threat and expression or regulation of threat responses. 6,7,[9][10][11] In young adults, greater disadvantage was inversely associated with quantitative anisotropy within the uncinate fasciculus, cingulum bundle, and fornix and stria terminalis. 12 Furthermore, individuals living in more disadvantaged neighborhoods showed greater amygdala reactivity to fearful faces compared with neutral faces in adolescence and adulthood.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the mechanisms linking neighborhood disadvantage with psychiatric disorders remain unclear . Several frameworks propose that neighborhood disadvantage is a form of chronic stress that impacts changes in neural systems involved in threat and reward processing . Characterizing these neural outcomes may be critical for understanding the association between neighborhood-level chronic stress and mental health.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neighborhood Disadvantage and Neural Correlates of Threat and Reward Processing in Survivors of Recent Trauma

Webb,

Ely,

Rowland

et al. 2023

JAMA Netw Open

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ImportanceDifferences in neighborhood socioeconomic characteristics are important considerations in understanding differences in risk vs resilience in mental health. Neighborhood disadvantage is associated with alterations in the function and structure of threat neurocircuitry.ObjectiveTo investigate associations of neighborhood disadvantage with white and gray matter and neural reactivity to positive and negative stimuli in the context of trauma exposure.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsIn this cross-sectional study, survivors of trauma who completed sociodemographic and posttraumatic symptom assessments and neuroimaging were recruited as part of the Advancing Understanding of Recovery After Trauma (AURORA) study between September 2017 and June 2021. Data analysis was performed from October 25, 2022, to February 15, 2023.ExposureNeighborhood disadvantage was measured with the Area Deprivation Index (ADI) for each participant home address.Main Outcomes and MeasuresParticipants completed separate threat and reward tasks during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Diffusion-weighted and high-resolution structural images were also collected. Linear models assessed the association of ADI with reactivity, microstructure, and macrostructure of a priori regions of interest after adjusting for income, lifetime trauma, sex at birth, and age. A moderated-mediation model tested whether ADI was associated with neural activity via microstructural changes and if this was modulated by PTSD symptoms.ResultsA total of 280 participants (183 females [65.4%]; mean [SD] age, 35.39 [13.29] years) completed the threat task and 244 participants (156 females [63.9%]; mean [SD] age, 35.10 [13.26] years) completed the reward task. Higher ADI (per 1-unit increase) was associated with greater insula (t274 = 3.20; β = 0.20; corrected P = .008) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC; t274 = 2.56; β = 0.16; corrected P = .04) threat-related activity after considering covariates, but ADI was not associated with reward reactivity. Greater disadvantage was also associated with altered microstructure of the cingulum bundle (t274 = 3.48; β = 0.21; corrected P = .001) and gray matter morphology of the ACC (cortical thickness: t273 = −2.29; β = −0.13; corrected P = .02; surface area: t273 = 2.53; β = 0.13; corrected P = .02). The moderated-mediation model revealed that ADI was associated with ACC threat reactivity via cingulum microstructural changes (index of moderated mediation = −0.02). However, this mediation was only present in individuals with greater PTSD symptom severity (at the mean: β = −0.17; standard error = 0.06, t= −2.28; P = .007; at 1 SD above the mean: β = −0.28; standard error = 0.08; t = −3.35; P &lt; .001).Conclusions and RelevanceIn this study, neighborhood disadvantage was associated with neurobiology that supports threat processing, revealing associations of neighborhood disadvantage with neural susceptibility for PTSD and suggesting how altered structure-function associations may complicate symptoms. Future work should investigate specific components of neighborhood disadvantage that may be associated with these outcomes.

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“…Intriguingly, Tomas et al. ( 15 ) illustrate the possibility that neighborhood SES may impact how people respond to predictability versus uncertainty, showing that brain responses to predictable versus unpredictable cues varied as a function of ADI among individuals with traumatic brain injuries. Further, Chat et al.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Together, the Tomas et al. ( 15 ) and Chat et al. ( 16 ) studies suggest that experiences of living in neighborhoods with lower SES or higher crime rates may influence an individual’s psychological processing in ways that could in theory mediate risk for a range of mental health challenges.…”

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confidence: 99%

Introduction to the Special Issue on the Exposome—Understanding Environmental Impacts on Brain Development and Risk for Psychopathology

Barch

2022

Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science

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Neighborhood Socioeconomic Disadvantage and the Neurobiology of Uncertainty in Traumatically Injured Adults

Cited by 8 publications

References 60 publications

Radically reframing studies on neurobiology and socioeconomic circumstances: A call for social justice-oriented neuroscience

Radically reframing studies on neurobiology and socioeconomic circumstances: A call for social justice-oriented neuroscience

Neighborhood Disadvantage and Neural Correlates of Threat and Reward Processing in Survivors of Recent Trauma

Introduction to the Special Issue on the Exposome—Understanding Environmental Impacts on Brain Development and Risk for Psychopathology

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