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Beaudoin FL, An X, Basu A, Ji Y, Liu M, Kessler RC, Doughtery RF, Zeng D, Bollen KA, House SL, Stevens JS, Neylan TC, Clifford GD, Jovanovic T, Linnstaedt SD, Germine LT, Rauch SL, Haran JP, Storrow AB, Lewandowski C, Musey PI, Hendry PL, Sheikh S, Jones CW, Punches BE, Kurz MC, Swor RA, Murty VP, McGrath ME, Hudak LA, Pascual JL, Datner EM, Chang AM, Pearson C, Peak DA, Merchant RC, Domeier RM, Rathlev NK, Neil BJO, Sergot P, Sanchez LD, Bruce SE, Baker JT, Joormann J, Miller MW, Pietrzak RH, Barch DM, Pizzagalli DA, Sheridan JF, Smoller JW, Harte SE, Elliott JM, Koenen KC, Ressler KJ, McLean SA. Use of serial smartphone-based assessments to characterize diverse neuropsychiatric symptom trajectories in a large trauma survivor cohort. Transl Psychiatry 2023; 13:4. [PMID: 36609484 PMCID: PMC9823011 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-022-02289-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Revised: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The authors sought to characterize adverse posttraumatic neuropsychiatric sequelae (APNS) symptom trajectories across ten symptom domains (pain, depression, sleep, nightmares, avoidance, re-experiencing, anxiety, hyperarousal, somatic, and mental/fatigue symptoms) in a large, diverse, understudied sample of motor vehicle collision (MVC) survivors. More than two thousand MVC survivors were enrolled in the emergency department (ED) and completed a rotating battery of brief smartphone-based surveys over a 2-month period. Measurement models developed from survey item responses were used in latent growth curve/mixture modeling to characterize homogeneous symptom trajectories. Associations between individual trajectories and pre-trauma and peritraumatic characteristics and traditional outcomes were compared, along with associations within and between trajectories. APNS across all ten symptom domains were common in the first two months after trauma. Many risk factors and associations with high symptom burden trajectories were shared across domains. Both across and within traditional diagnostic boundaries, APNS trajectory intercepts, and slopes were substantially correlated. Across all domains, symptom severity in the immediate aftermath of trauma (trajectory intercepts) had the greatest influence on the outcome. An interactive data visualization tool was developed to allow readers to explore relationships of interest between individual characteristics, symptom trajectories, and traditional outcomes ( http://itr.med.unc.edu/aurora/parcoord/ ). Individuals presenting to the ED after MVC commonly experience a broad constellation of adverse posttraumatic symptoms. Many risk factors for diverse APNS are shared. Individuals diagnosed with a single traditional outcome should be screened for others. The utility of multidimensional categorizations that characterize individuals across traditional diagnostic domains should be explored.
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Stevens JS, Roeckner AR. Unexpected circuit-level tradeoffs in human stress resilience. Neuropsychopharmacology 2023; 48:234-235. [PMID: 35918467 PMCID: PMC9700765 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01399-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
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Short NA, van Rooij SJH, Murty VP, Stevens JS, An X, Ji Y, McLean SA, House SL, Beaudoin FL, Zeng D, Neylan TC, Clifford GD, Linnstaedt SD, Germine LT, Bollen KA, Rauch SL, Haran JP, Lewandowski C, Musey PI, Hendry PL, Sheikh S, Jones CW, Punches BE, Swor RA, McGrath ME, Hudak LA, Pascual JL, Seamon MJ, Datner EM, Pearson C, Peak DA, Merchant RC, Domeier RM, Rathlev NK, O'Neil BJ, Sergot P, Sanchez LD, Bruce SE, Pietrzak RH, Joormann J, Barch DM, Pizzagalli DA, Sheridan JF, Smoller JW, Harte SE, Elliott JM, Kessler RC, Koenen KC, Jovanovic T. Anxiety sensitivity as a transdiagnostic risk factor for trajectories of adverse posttraumatic neuropsychiatric sequelae in the AURORA study. J Psychiatr Res 2022; 156:45-54. [PMID: 36242943 PMCID: PMC10960961 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.09.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2022] [Revised: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Anxiety sensitivity, or fear of anxious arousal, is cross-sectionally associated with a wide array of adverse posttraumatic neuropsychiatric sequelae, including symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance, pain, and somatization. The current study utilizes a large-scale, multi-site, prospective study of trauma survivors presenting to emergency departments. Hypotheses tested whether elevated anxiety sensitivity in the immediate posttrauma period is associated with more severe and persistent trajectories of common adverse posttraumatic neuropsychiatric sequelae in the eight weeks posttrauma. Participants from the AURORA study (n = 2,269 recruited from 23 emergency departments) completed self-report assessments over eight weeks posttrauma. Associations between heightened anxiety sensitivity and more severe and/or persistent trajectories of trauma-related symptoms identified by growth mixture modeling were analyzed. Anxiety sensitivity assessed two weeks posttrauma was associated with severe and/or persistent posttraumatic stress, depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance, pain, and somatic symptoms in the eight weeks posttrauma. Effect sizes were in the small to medium range in multivariate models accounting for various demographic, trauma-related, pre-trauma mental health-related, and personality-related factors. Anxiety sensitivity may be a useful transdiagnostic risk factor in the immediate posttraumatic period identifying individuals at risk for the development of adverse posttraumatic neuropsychiatric sequelae. Further, considering anxiety sensitivity is malleable via brief intervention, it could be a useful secondary prevention target. Future research should continue to evaluate associations between anxiety sensitivity and trauma-related pathology.
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Roeckner AR, Sogani S, Michopoulos V, Hinrichs R, van Rooij SJH, Rothbaum BO, Jovanovic T, Ressler KJ, Stevens JS. Sex-dependent risk factors for PTSD: a prospective structural MRI study. Neuropsychopharmacology 2022; 47:2213-2220. [PMID: 36114284 PMCID: PMC9630503 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01452-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Revised: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Female individuals are more likely to be diagnosed with PTSD following trauma exposure than males, potentially due, in part, to underlying neurobiological factors. Several brain regions underlying fear learning and expression have previously been associated with PTSD, with the hippocampus, amygdala, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC), and rostral ACC (rACC) showing altered volume and function in those with PTSD. However, few studies have examined how sex impacts the predictive value of subcortical volumes and cortical thickness in longitudinal PTSD studies. As part of an emergency department study completed at the Grady Trauma Project in Atlanta, GA, N = 93 (40 Female) participants were enrolled within 24 h following a traumatic event. Multi-echo T1-weighted MRI images were collected one-month post-trauma exposure. Bilateral amygdala and hippocampal volumes and rACC and dACC cortical thickness were segmented. To assess the longitudinal course of PTSD, the PTSD Symptom Scale (PSS) was collected 6 months post-trauma. We investigated whether regional volume/thickness interacted with sex to predict later PTSD symptom severity, controlling for PSS score at time of scan, age, race, and trauma type, as well as intracranial volume (ICV) for subcortical volumes. There was a significant interaction between sex and rACC for 6-month PSS, such that right rACC thickness was positively correlated with 6-month PSS scores in females, but not in males. In examining PTSD symptom subtypes and depression symptoms, greater rACC thickness in females predicted greater avoidance symptoms, while smaller rACC thickness in males predicted greater depression symptoms. Amygdala and hippocampus volume and dACC thickness showed no main effect or interaction with sex. The current findings provide evidence for sex-based differences in how brain volume predicts future PTSD severity and symptoms and supports the rACC as being a vital region regarding PTSD. Gender differences should be assessed in future longitudinal PTSD MRI studies for more accurate identification of future PTSD risk following trauma.
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Fani N, Eghbalzad L, Harnett NG, Carter SE, Price M, Stevens JS, Ressler KJ, van Rooij SJH, Bradley B. Racial discrimination associates with lower cingulate cortex thickness in trauma-exposed black women. Neuropsychopharmacology 2022; 47:2230-2237. [PMID: 36100659 PMCID: PMC9630426 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01445-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Revised: 08/14/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Racial discrimination (RD) has been consistently linked to adverse brain health outcomes. These may be due in part to RD effects on neural networks involved with threat appraisal and regulation; RD has been linked to altered activity in the rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC) and structural decrements in the anterior cingulum bundle and hippocampus. In the present study, we examined associations of RD with cingulate, hippocampus and amygdala gray matter morphology in a sample of trauma-exposed Black women. Eighty-one Black women aged 19-62 years were recruited as part of an ongoing study of trauma. Participants completed assessments of RD, trauma exposure, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and underwent T1-weighted anatomical imaging. Cortical thickness, surface area and gray matter volume were extracted from subregions of cingulate cortex, and gray matter volume was extracted from amygdala and hippocampus, and entered into partial correlation analyses that included RD and other socio-environmental variables. After correction for multiple comparisons and accounting for variance associated with other stressors and socio-environmental factors, participants with more RD exposure showed proportionally lower cortical thickness in the left rACC, caudal ACC, and posterior cingulate cortex (ps < = 0.01). These findings suggest that greater experiences of RD are linked to compromised cingulate gray matter thickness. In the context of earlier findings indicating that RD produces increased response in threat neurocircuitry, our data suggest that RD may increase vulnerability for brain health problems via cingulate cortex alterations. Further research is needed to elucidate biological mechanisms for these changes.
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Rowland GE, Mekawi Y, Michopoulos V, Powers A, Fani N, Bradley B, Ressler KJ, Jovanovic T, Stevens JS. Distinctive impacts of sexual trauma versus non-sexual trauma on PTSD profiles in highly trauma-exposed, Black women. J Affect Disord 2022; 317:329-338. [PMID: 36055528 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.08.099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2021] [Revised: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prior findings suggest that psychopathology following interpersonal trauma or assaultive violence may present differently from prototypical posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, whether this is true for sexual trauma (ST) in the context of other salient lifetime traumatic experiences is yet unknown. We predicted that ST exposure may result in higher avoidance and numbing symptoms and blunted fear responses, relative to non-sexual trauma (NST), particularly if ST occurred during childhood. METHODS Participants were n = 5163 Black women recruited in an urban public hospital. We investigated effects of ST on PTSD symptoms, fear-potentiated startle (FPS) response (n = 285), and amygdala reactivity and habituation to social threat cues with fMRI (n = 95). RESULTS ST was associated with greater PTSD symptoms (p = 2.64 × 10-21), but this was observed across all symptom clusters. Women who experienced repeated ST in both childhood and adulthood showed greater PTSD (p = .0009) and numbing symptoms (p = .002). In the FPS paradigm, the ST group startled more on all blocks and stimulus types than the NST group (p = .004). Developmental timing of ST did not influence startle magnitude. ST was not associated with amygdala habituation or reactivity. LIMITATIONS Generalizability is limited to Black women with a high trauma burden. Associations are cross-sectional, limiting causal conclusions. CONCLUSION While survivors of ST may present with more severe PTSD symptoms, their profiles are not characteristically different from similar NST controls. Childhood sexual abuse exposure alone did not result in a unique symptom profile. ST represents a uniquely high-burden stressor with likelihood for more severe posttraumatic outcomes.
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Sun D, Rakesh G, Haswell CC, Logue M, Baird CL, O'Leary EN, Cotton AS, Xie H, Tamburrino M, Chen T, Dennis EL, Jahanshad N, Salminen LE, Thomopoulos SI, Rashid F, Ching CRK, Koch SBJ, Frijling JL, Nawijn L, van Zuiden M, Zhu X, Suarez-Jimenez B, Sierk A, Walter H, Manthey A, Stevens JS, Fani N, van Rooij SJH, Stein M, Bomyea J, Koerte IK, Choi K, van der Werff SJA, Vermeiren RRJM, Herzog J, Lebois LAM, Baker JT, Olson EA, Straube T, Korgaonkar MS, Andrew E, Zhu Y, Li G, Ipser J, Hudson AR, Peverill M, Sambrook K, Gordon E, Baugh L, Forster G, Simons RM, Simons JS, Magnotta V, Maron-Katz A, du Plessis S, Disner SG, Davenport N, Grupe DW, Nitschke JB, deRoon-Cassini TA, Fitzgerald JM, Krystal JH, Levy I, Olff M, Veltman DJ, Wang L, Neria Y, De Bellis MD, Jovanovic T, Daniels JK, Shenton M, van de Wee NJA, Schmahl C, Kaufman ML, Rosso IM, Sponheim SR, Hofmann DB, Bryant RA, Fercho KA, Stein DJ, Mueller SC, Hosseini B, Phan KL, McLaughlin KA, Davidson RJ, Larson CL, May G, Nelson SM, Abdallah CG, Gomaa H, Etkin A, Seedat S, Harpaz-Rotem I, Liberzon I, van Erp TGM, Quidé Y, Wang X, Thompson PM, Morey RA. A comparison of methods to harmonize cortical thickness measurements across scanners and sites. Neuroimage 2022; 261:119509. [PMID: 35917919 PMCID: PMC9648725 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2021] [Revised: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Results of neuroimaging datasets aggregated from multiple sites may be biased by site-specific profiles in participants' demographic and clinical characteristics, as well as MRI acquisition protocols and scanning platforms. We compared the impact of four different harmonization methods on results obtained from analyses of cortical thickness data: (1) linear mixed-effects model (LME) that models site-specific random intercepts (LMEINT), (2) LME that models both site-specific random intercepts and age-related random slopes (LMEINT+SLP), (3) ComBat, and (4) ComBat with a generalized additive model (ComBat-GAM). Our test case for comparing harmonization methods was cortical thickness data aggregated from 29 sites, which included 1,340 cases with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (6.2-81.8 years old) and 2,057 trauma-exposed controls without PTSD (6.3-85.2 years old). We found that, compared to the other data harmonization methods, data processed with ComBat-GAM was more sensitive to the detection of significant case-control differences (Χ2(3) = 63.704, p < 0.001) as well as case-control differences in age-related cortical thinning (Χ2(3) = 12.082, p = 0.007). Both ComBat and ComBat-GAM outperformed LME methods in detecting sex differences (Χ2(3) = 9.114, p = 0.028) in regional cortical thickness. ComBat-GAM also led to stronger estimates of age-related declines in cortical thickness (corrected p-values < 0.001), stronger estimates of case-related cortical thickness reduction (corrected p-values < 0.001), weaker estimates of age-related declines in cortical thickness in cases than controls (corrected p-values < 0.001), stronger estimates of cortical thickness reduction in females than males (corrected p-values < 0.001), and stronger estimates of cortical thickness reduction in females relative to males in cases than controls (corrected p-values < 0.001). Our results support the use of ComBat-GAM to minimize confounds and increase statistical power when harmonizing data with non-linear effects, and the use of either ComBat or ComBat-GAM for harmonizing data with linear effects.
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Wang C, La Barrie DL, Powers A, Stenson AF, van Rooij SJH, Stevens JS, Jovanovic T, Bradley B, McGee RE, Fani N. Associations of maternal emotion regulation with child white matter connectivity in Black American mother-child dyads. Dev Psychobiol 2022; 64:e22303. [PMID: 36282745 PMCID: PMC9608357 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Revised: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 05/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Parental emotion regulation plays a major role in parent-child interactions, and in turn, neural plasticity in children, particularly during sensitive developmental periods. However, little is known about how parental emotion dysregulation is associated with variation in children's brain structure, which was the goal of this study. Forty-five Black American mother-child dyads were recruited from an intergenerational trauma study; emotion regulation in mothers and their children (age 8-13 years) was assessed. Diffusion-weighted images were collected in children; deterministic tractography was used to reconstruct pathways of relevance to emotion regulation. Metrics of white matter connectivity [fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD)] were extracted for pathways. Socio-economic variables were also included in statistical models. Maternal emotion dysregulation was the strongest predictor of child fornix MD (r = .35, p = .001), indicating that more severe emotion dysregulation in mothers corresponded with lower fornix connectivity in children. Maternal impulsivity was a strong predictor of child fornix MD (r = .51, p < .001). Maternal emotion dysregulation may adversely influence connectivity of the child.s fornix, a hippocampal-striatal pathway implicated in reward processes; these associations remained even after accounting for other socio-environmental factors. Dysregulated maternal emotions may uniquely impact children's adaptation to trauma/stress by affecting networks that support appetitive processing.
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Powers A, Stevens JS, O’Banion D, Stenson A, Kaslow N, Jovanovic T, Bradley B. Intergenerational transmission of risk for PTSD symptoms in African American children: The roles of maternal and child emotion dysregulation. PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAUMA : THEORY, RESEARCH, PRACTICE AND POLICY 2022; 14:1099-1106. [PMID: 31894989 PMCID: PMC7329591 DOI: 10.1037/tra0000543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Emotion dysregulation is a transdiagnostic risk factor for many mental health disorders and develops in the context of early trauma exposure. Research suggests intergenerational risk associated with trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), such that maternal trauma experiences and related symptoms can negatively impact child outcomes across development. The goals of the present study were to examine child and mother correlates of child PTSD symptoms and the unique roles of child and maternal emotion dysregulation in understanding child PTSD symptoms. METHOD Subjects included 105 African American mother-child dyads from an urban hospital serving primarily low-income minority individuals. RESULTS Correlational results showed that child trauma exposure, child emotion dysregulation, maternal depressive symptoms, maternal emotion dysregulation, and potential for maternal child abuse all were significantly associated with child PTSD symptoms (ps < 0.05). Hierarchical linear regression models revealed that child trauma exposure, maternal depression, and maternal abuse potential accounted for 29% of the variance in child PTSD symptoms (p < 0.001). Both child emotion dysregulation (Rchange² = 0.14, p < .001) and maternal emotion dysregulation (Rchange² = 0.04, p < .05) were significantly associated with child PTSD symptoms independent of other risk factors and potential for maternal abuse was no longer a significant predictor. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that maternal emotion dysregulation may be an important factor in influencing their child's PTSD symptoms above and beyond child-specific variables. Both maternal and child emotion dysregulation could be valuable treatment targets for improving maternal mental health and parenting behaviors and bolstering child health outcomes, thus reducing intergenerational transmission of risk associated with trauma. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).
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Kosaraju S, Galatzer-Levy I, Schultebraucks K, Winters S, Hinrichs R, Reddi PJ, Maples-Keller JL, Hudak L, Michopoulos V, Jovanovic T, Ressler KJ, Allen JW, Stevens JS. Associations among civilian mild traumatic brain injury with loss of consciousness, posttraumatic stress disorder symptom trajectories, and structural brain volumetric data. J Trauma Stress 2022; 35:1521-1534. [PMID: 35776892 DOI: 10.1002/jts.22858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 05/14/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is prevalent and associated with significant morbidity. Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) concurrent with psychiatric trauma may be associated with PTSD. Prior studies of PTSD-related structural brain alterations have focused on military populations. The current study examined correlations between PTSD, acute mTBI, and structural brain alterations longitudinally in civilian patients (N = 504) who experienced a recent Criterion A traumatic event. Participants who reported loss of consciousness (LOC) were characterized as having mTBI; all others were included in the control group. PTSD symptoms were assessed at enrollment and over the following year; a subset of participants (n = 89) underwent volumetric brain MRI (M = 53 days posttrauma). Classes of PTSD symptom trajectories were modeled using latent growth mixture modeling. Associations between PTSD symptom trajectories and cortical thicknesses or subcortical volumes were assessed using a moderator-based regression. mTBI with LOC during trauma was positively correlated with the likelihood of developing a chronic PTSD symptom trajectory. mTBI showed significant interactions with cortical thickness in the rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC) in predicting PTSD symptoms, r = .461-.463. Bilateral rACC thickness positively predicted PTSD symptoms but only among participants who endorsed LOC, p < .001. The results demonstrate positive correlations between mTBI with LOC and PTSD symptom trajectories, and findings related to mTBI with LOC and rACC thickness interactions in predicting subsequent chronic PTSD symptoms suggest the importance of further understanding the role of mTBI in the context of PTSD to inform intervention and risk stratification.
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Mehta ND, Stevens JS, Li Z, Fani N, Gillespie CF, Ravi M, Michopoulos V, Felger JC. Inflammation, amygdala-ventromedial prefrontal functional connectivity and symptoms of anxiety and PTSD in African American women recruited from an inner-city hospital: Preliminary results. Brain Behav Immun 2022; 105:122-130. [PMID: 35772683 PMCID: PMC11041384 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2022.06.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Revised: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Inflammatory stimuli have been shown to impact brain regions involved in threat detection and emotional processing including amygdala and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), and to increase anxiety. Biomarkers of endogenous inflammation, including inflammatory cytokines and C-reactive protein (CRP), are reliably elevated in a subset of patients with depression and anxiety-related disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and have been associated with high anxiety in population studies. We previously reported that plasma CRP and cytokines in patients with depression were negatively correlated with resting-state functional connectivity (FC) between right amygdala and vmPFC, as assessed using both ROI to voxel-wise and targeted FC approaches, in association with symptoms of anxiety, particularly in patients with comorbid anxiety disorders or PTSD. To determine whether relationships between inflammation, right amygdala-vmPFC FC, and anxiety are reproducible across patient samples and research settings, we employed an a priori, hypothesis-driven approach to examine relationships between inflammation, targeted right amygdala-vmPFC FC and anxiety in a cohort of African American (AA) women (n = 54) recruited from an inner-city hospital population reliably found to have higher levels of inflammation (median CRP ∼ 4 mg/L) as well as symptoms of anxiety, depression and PTSD. Higher concentrations of plasma CRP were associated with lower right amygdala-vmPFC FC (r = -0.32, p = 0.017), and this relationship remained significant when controlling for age, body mass index and number of lifetime trauma events experienced, as well as severity of PTSD and depression symptoms (all p < 0.05). This amygdala-vmPFC FC was similarly associated with a composite score of three inflammatory cytokines in a subset of women where plasma was available for analysis (n = 33, r = -0.33, p = 0.058; adjusted r = -0.43, p = 0.026 when controlling for covariates including PTSD and depression symptom severity). Lower right amygdala-vmPFC FC was in turn associated with higher levels of anxiety reported to be generally experienced on the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, trait component (adjusted r = -0.32, p = 0.039 when controlling for covariates). Exploratory analyses also revealed a negative correlation between severity of childhood maltreatment and right amygdala-vmPFC FC (r = -0.32, p = 0.018) that was independent of CRP and its association with FC, as well as an association between low amygdala-vmPFC FC and severity of PTSD symptoms, specifically the re-experiencing/intrusive symptom subscale (adjusted r = -0.32, p = 0.028 when controlling for covariates). While CRP was not linearly associated with either anxiety or PTSD symptoms, CRP concentrations were higher in women reporting clinically significant anxiety or PTSD symptom severity when these symptoms were considered together (both p < 0.05), but with no interaction. These results support our primary hypothesis that higher inflammation was associated with lower amygdala-vmPFC FC, a relationship that was detected using a hypothesis-driven, targeted approach. Findings also support that this phenotype of high CRP and low vmPFC FC was observed in association with anxiety in primary analyses, as well as symptoms of PTSD in exploratory analyses, in a cohort recruited from an inner-city population of AA women enriched for high inflammation, history of trauma exposure, and symptom severity. Larger, longitudinal samples are required to fully tease apart causal relationships between inflammatory biomarkers, FC and PTSD-related symptoms in future studies.
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Punches BE, Stolz U, Freiermuth CE, Ancona RM, McLean SA, House SL, Beaudoin FL, An X, Stevens JS, Zeng D, Neylan TC, Clifford GD, Jovanovic T, Linnstaedt SD, Germine LT, Bollen KA, Rauch SL, Haran JP, Storrow AB, Lewandowski C, Musey PI, Hendry PL, Sheikh S, Jones CW, Kurz MC, Gentile NT, McGrath ME, Hudak LA, Pascual JL, Seamon MJ, Harris E, Chang AM, Pearson C, Peak DA, Merchant RC, Domeier RM, Rathlev NK, O’Neil BJ, Sanchez LD, Bruce SE, Pietrzak RH, Joormann J, Barch DM, Pizzagalli DA, Smoller JW, Luna B, Harte SE, Elliott JM, Kessler RC, Ressler KJ, Koenen KC, Lyons MS. Predicting at-risk opioid use three months after ed visit for trauma: Results from the AURORA study. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0273378. [PMID: 36149896 PMCID: PMC9506640 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0273378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 08/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective Whether short-term, low-potency opioid prescriptions for acute pain lead to future at-risk opioid use remains controversial and inadequately characterized. Our objective was to measure the association between emergency department (ED) opioid analgesic exposure after a physical, trauma-related event and subsequent opioid use. We hypothesized ED opioid analgesic exposure is associated with subsequent at-risk opioid use. Methods Participants were enrolled in AURORA, a prospective cohort study of adult patients in 29 U.S., urban EDs receiving care for a traumatic event. Exclusion criteria were hospital admission, persons reporting any non-medical opioid use (e.g., opioids without prescription or taking more than prescribed for euphoria) in the 30 days before enrollment, and missing or incomplete data regarding opioid exposure or pain. We used multivariable logistic regression to assess the relationship between ED opioid exposure and at-risk opioid use, defined as any self-reported non-medical opioid use after initial ED encounter or prescription opioid use at 3-months. Results Of 1441 subjects completing 3-month follow-up, 872 participants were included for analysis. At-risk opioid use occurred within 3 months in 33/620 (5.3%, CI: 3.7,7.4) participants without ED opioid analgesic exposure; 4/16 (25.0%, CI: 8.3, 52.6) with ED opioid prescription only; 17/146 (11.6%, CI: 7.1, 18.3) with ED opioid administration only; 12/90 (13.3%, CI: 7.4, 22.5) with both. Controlling for clinical factors, adjusted odds ratios (aORs) for at-risk opioid use after ED opioid exposure were: ED prescription only: 4.9 (95% CI 1.4, 17.4); ED administration for analgesia only: 2.0 (CI 1.0, 3.8); both: 2.8 (CI 1.2, 6.5). Conclusions ED opioids were associated with subsequent at-risk opioid use within three months in a geographically diverse cohort of adult trauma patients. This supports need for prospective studies focused on the long-term consequences of ED opioid analgesic exposure to estimate individual risk and guide therapeutic decision-making.
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Wu Y, Kundu S, Stevens JS, Fani N, Srivastava A. Elastic shape analysis of brain structures for predictive modeling of PTSD. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:954055. [PMID: 36117613 PMCID: PMC9475197 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.954055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
It is well-known that morphological features in the brain undergo changes due to traumatic events and associated disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, existing approaches typically offer group-level comparisons, and there are limited predictive approaches for modeling behavioral outcomes based on brain shape features that can account for heterogeneity in PTSD, which is of paramount interest. We propose a comprehensive shape analysis framework representing brain sub-structures, such as the hippocampus, amygdala, and putamen, as parameterized surfaces and quantifying their shape differences using an elastic shape metric. Under this metric, we compute shape summaries (mean, covariance, PCA) of brain sub-structures and represent individual brain shapes by their principal scores under a shape-PCA basis. These representations are rich enough to allow visualizations of full 3D structures and help understand localized changes. In order to validate the elastic shape analysis, we use the principal components (PCs) to reconstruct the brain structures and perform further evaluation by performing a regression analysis to model PTSD and trauma severity using the brain shapes represented via PCs and in conjunction with auxiliary exposure variables. We apply our method to data from the Grady Trauma Project (GTP), where the goal is to predict clinical measures of PTSD. The framework seamlessly integrates accurate morphological features and other clinical covariates to yield superior predictive performance when modeling PTSD outcomes. Compared to vertex-wise analysis and other widely applied shape analysis methods, the elastic shape analysis approach results in considerably higher reconstruction accuracy for the brain shape and reveals significantly greater predictive power. It also helps identify local deformations in brain shapes associated with PTSD severity.
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Lebois LAM, Harnett NG, van Rooij SJH, Ely TD, Jovanovic T, Bruce SE, House SL, Ravichandran C, Dumornay NM, Finegold KE, Hill SB, Merker JB, Phillips KA, Beaudoin FL, An X, Neylan TC, Clifford GD, Linnstaedt SD, Germine LT, Rauch SL, Haran JP, Storrow AB, Lewandowski C, Musey PI, Hendry PL, Sheikh S, Jones CW, Punches BE, Swor RA, McGrath ME, Hudak LA, Pascual JL, Seamon MJ, Datner EM, Chang AM, Pearson C, Domeier RM, Rathlev NK, O’Neil BJ, Sergot P, Sanchez LD, Miller MW, Pietrzak RH, Joormann J, Barch DM, Pizzagalli DA, Sheridan JF, Smoller JW, Luna B, Harte SE, Elliott JM, Kessler RC, Koenen KC, McLean SA, Stevens JS, Ressler KJ. Persistent Dissociation and Its Neural Correlates in Predicting Outcomes After Trauma Exposure. Am J Psychiatry 2022; 179:661-672. [PMID: 35730162 PMCID: PMC9444876 DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.21090911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Dissociation, a disruption or discontinuity in psychological functioning, is often linked with worse psychiatric symptoms; however, the prognostic value of dissociation after trauma is inconsistent. Determining whether trauma-related dissociation is uniquely predictive of later outcomes would enable early identification of at-risk trauma populations. The authors conducted the largest prospective longitudinal biomarker study of persistent dissociation to date to determine its predictive capacity for adverse psychiatric outcomes following acute trauma. METHODS All data were part of the Freeze 2 data release from the Advancing Understanding of Recovery After Trauma (AURORA) study. Study participants provided self-report data about persistent derealization (N=1,464), a severe type of dissociation, and completed a functional MRI emotion reactivity task and resting-state scan 2 weeks posttrauma (N=145). Three-month follow-up reports were collected of posttraumatic stress, depression, pain, anxiety symptoms, and functional impairment. RESULTS Derealization was associated with increased ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) activation in the emotion reactivity task and decreased resting-state vmPFC connectivity with the cerebellum and orbitofrontal cortex. In separate analyses, brain-based and self-report measures of persistent derealization at 2 weeks predicted worse 3-month posttraumatic stress symptoms, distinct from the effects of childhood maltreatment history and current posttraumatic stress symptoms. CONCLUSIONS The findings suggest that persistent derealization is both an early psychological and biological marker of worse later psychiatric outcomes. The neural correlates of trauma-related dissociation may serve as potential targets for treatment engagement to prevent posttraumatic stress disorder. These results underscore dissociation assessment as crucial following trauma exposure to identify at-risk individuals, and they highlight an unmet clinical need for tailored early interventions.
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Sun D, Rakesh G, Clarke-Rubright EK, Haswell CC, Logue MW, O'Leary EN, Cotton AS, Xie H, Dennis EL, Jahanshad N, Salminen LE, Thomopoulos SI, Rashid FM, Ching CRK, Koch SBJ, Frijling JL, Nawijn L, van Zuiden M, Zhu X, Suarez-Jimenez B, Sierk A, Walter H, Manthey A, Stevens JS, Fani N, van Rooij SJH, Stein MB, Bomyea J, Koerte I, Choi K, van der Werff SJA, Vermeiren RRJM, Herzog JI, Lebois LAM, Baker JT, Ressler KJ, Olson EA, Straube T, Korgaonkar MS, Andrew E, Zhu Y, Li G, Ipser J, Hudson AR, Peverill M, Sambrook K, Gordon E, Baugh LA, Forster G, Simons RM, Simons JS, Magnotta VA, Maron-Katz A, du Plessis S, Disner SG, Davenport ND, Grupe D, Nitschke JB, deRoon-Cassini TA, Fitzgerald J, Krystal JH, Levy I, Olff M, Veltman DJ, Wang L, Neria Y, De Bellis MD, Jovanovic T, Daniels JK, Shenton ME, van de Wee NJA, Schmahl C, Kaufman ML, Rosso IM, Sponheim SR, Hofmann DB, Bryant RA, Fercho KA, Stein DJ, Mueller SC, Phan KL, McLaughlin KA, Davidson RJ, Larson C, May G, Nelson SM, Abdallah CG, Gomaa H, Etkin A, Seedat S, Harpaz-Rotem I, Liberzon I, Wang X, Thompson PM, Morey RA. Remodeling of the Cortical Structural Connectome in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Results From the ENIGMA-PGC Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Consortium. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2022; 7:935-948. [PMID: 35307575 PMCID: PMC9835553 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2022.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2021] [Revised: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is accompanied by disrupted cortical neuroanatomy. We investigated alteration in covariance of structural networks associated with PTSD in regions that demonstrate the case-control differences in cortical thickness (CT) and surface area (SA). METHODS Neuroimaging and clinical data were aggregated from 29 research sites in >1300 PTSD cases and >2000 trauma-exposed control subjects (ages 6.2-85.2 years) by the ENIGMA-PGC (Enhancing Neuro Imaging Genetics through Meta Analysis-Psychiatric Genomics Consortium) PTSD working group. Cortical regions in the network were rank ordered by the effect size of PTSD-related cortical differences in CT and SA. The top-n (n = 2-148) regions with the largest effect size for PTSD > non-PTSD formed hypertrophic networks, the largest effect size for PTSD < non-PTSD formed atrophic networks, and the smallest effect size of between-group differences formed stable networks. The mean structural covariance (SC) of a given n-region network was the average of all positive pairwise correlations and was compared with the mean SC of 5000 randomly generated n-region networks. RESULTS Patients with PTSD, relative to non-PTSD control subjects, exhibited lower mean SC in CT-based and SA-based atrophic networks. Comorbid depression, sex, and age modulated covariance differences of PTSD-related structural networks. CONCLUSIONS Covariance of structural networks based on CT and cortical SA are affected by PTSD and further modulated by comorbid depression, sex, and age. The SC networks that are perturbed in PTSD comport with converging evidence from resting-state functional connectivity networks and networks affected by inflammatory processes and stress hormones in PTSD.
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Tanriverdi B, Gregory DF, Olino TM, Ely TD, Harnett NG, van Rooij SJH, Lebois LAM, Seligowski AV, Jovanovic T, Ressler KJ, House SL, Beaudoin FL, An X, Neylan TC, Clifford GD, Linnstaedt SD, Germine LT, Bollen KA, Rauch SL, Haran JP, Storrow AB, Lewandowski C, Musey PI, Hendry PL, Sheikh S, Jones CW, Punches BE, Kurz MC, McGrath ME, Hudak LA, Pascual JL, Seamon MJ, Datner EM, Pearson C, Domeier RM, Rathlev NK, O'Neil BJ, Sanchez LD, Bruce SE, Miller MW, Pietrzak RH, Joormann J, Barch DM, Pizzagalli DA, Sheridan JF, Smoller JW, Harte SE, Elliott JM, McLean SA, Kessler RC, Koenen KC, Stevens JS, Murty VP. Hippocampal Threat Reactivity Interacts with Physiological Arousal to Predict PTSD Symptoms. J Neurosci 2022; 42:6593-6604. [PMID: 35879096 PMCID: PMC9410748 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0911-21.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Revised: 06/13/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Hippo campal impairments are reliably associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); however, little research has characterized how increased threat sensitivity may interact with arousal responses to alter hippocampal reactivity, and further how these interactions relate to the sequelae of trauma-related symptoms. In a sample of individuals recently exposed to trauma (N = 116, 76 female), we found that PTSD symptoms at 2 weeks were associated with decreased hippocampal responses to threat as assessed with fMRI. Further, the relationship between hippocampal threat sensitivity and PTSD symptomology only emerged in individuals who showed transient, high threat-related arousal, as assayed by an independently collected measure of fear potentiated startle. Collectively, our finding suggests that development of PTSD is associated with threat-related decreases in hippocampal function because of increases in fear-potentiated arousal.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Alterations in hippocampal function linked to threat-related arousal are reliably associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); however, how these alterations relate to the sequelae of trauma-related symptoms is unknown. Prior models based on nontrauma samples suggest that arousal may impact hippocampal neurophysiology leading to maladaptive behavior. Here we show that decreased hippocampal threat sensitivity interacts with fear-potentiated startle to predict PTSD symptoms. Specifically, individuals with high fear-potentiated startle and low, transient hippocampal threat sensitivity showed the greatest PTSD symptomology. These findings bridge literatures of threat-related arousal and hippocampal function to better understand PTSD risk.
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Harnett NG, Finegold KE, Lebois LAM, van Rooij SJH, Ely TD, Murty VP, Jovanovic T, Bruce SE, House SL, Beaudoin FL, An X, Zeng D, Neylan TC, Clifford GD, Linnstaedt SD, Germine LT, Bollen KA, Rauch SL, Haran JP, Storrow AB, Lewandowski C, Musey PI, Hendry PL, Sheikh S, Jones CW, Punches BE, Kurz MC, Swor RA, Hudak LA, Pascual JL, Seamon MJ, Harris E, Chang AM, Pearson C, Peak DA, Domeier RM, Rathlev NK, O'Neil BJ, Sergot P, Sanchez LD, Miller MW, Pietrzak RH, Joormann J, Barch DM, Pizzagalli DA, Sheridan JF, Harte SE, Elliott JM, Kessler RC, Koenen KC, McLean SA, Nickerson LD, Ressler KJ, Stevens JS. Structural covariance of the ventral visual stream predicts posttraumatic intrusion and nightmare symptoms: a multivariate data fusion analysis. Transl Psychiatry 2022; 12:321. [PMID: 35941117 PMCID: PMC9360028 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-022-02085-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Revised: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Visual components of trauma memories are often vividly re-experienced by survivors with deleterious consequences for normal function. Neuroimaging research on trauma has primarily focused on threat-processing circuitry as core to trauma-related dysfunction. Conversely, limited attention has been given to visual circuitry which may be particularly relevant to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Prior work suggests that the ventral visual stream is directly related to the cognitive and affective disturbances observed in PTSD and may be predictive of later symptom expression. The present study used multimodal magnetic resonance imaging data (n = 278) collected two weeks after trauma exposure from the AURORA study, a longitudinal, multisite investigation of adverse posttraumatic neuropsychiatric sequelae. Indices of gray and white matter were combined using data fusion to identify a structural covariance network (SCN) of the ventral visual stream 2 weeks after trauma. Participant's loadings on the SCN were positively associated with both intrusion symptoms and intensity of nightmares. Further, SCN loadings moderated connectivity between a previously observed amygdala-hippocampal functional covariance network and the inferior temporal gyrus. Follow-up MRI data at 6 months showed an inverse relationship between SCN loadings and negative alterations in cognition in mood. Further, individuals who showed decreased strength of the SCN between 2 weeks and 6 months had generally higher PTSD symptom severity over time. The present findings highlight a role for structural integrity of the ventral visual stream in the development of PTSD. The ventral visual stream may be particularly important for the consolidation or retrieval of trauma memories and may contribute to efficient reactivation of visual components of the trauma memory, thereby exacerbating PTSD symptoms. Potentially chronic engagement of the network may lead to reduced structural integrity which becomes a risk factor for lasting PTSD symptoms.
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Joormann J, McLean SA, Beaudoin FL, An X, Stevens JS, Zeng D, Neylan TC, Clifford G, Linnstaedt SD, Germine LT, Rauch S, Musey PI, Hendry PL, Sheikh S, Jones CW, Punches BE, Fermann G, Hudak LA, Mohiuddin K, Murty V, McGrath ME, Haran JP, Pascual J, Seamon M, Peak DA, Pearson C, Domeier RM, Sergot P, Merchant R, Sanchez LD, Rathlev NK, Peacock WF, Bruce SE, Barch D, Pizzagalli DA, Luna B, Harte SE, Hwang I, Lee S, Sampson N, Koenen KC, Ressler K, Kessler RC. Socio-demographic and trauma-related predictors of depression within eight weeks of motor vehicle collision in the AURORA study. Psychol Med 2022; 52:1934-1947. [PMID: 33118917 PMCID: PMC9341273 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291720003773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND This is the first report on the association between trauma exposure and depression from the Advancing Understanding of RecOvery afteR traumA(AURORA) multisite longitudinal study of adverse post-traumatic neuropsychiatric sequelae (APNS) among participants seeking emergency department (ED) treatment in the aftermath of a traumatic life experience. METHODS We focus on participants presenting at EDs after a motor vehicle collision (MVC), which characterizes most AURORA participants, and examine associations of participant socio-demographics and MVC characteristics with 8-week depression as mediated through peritraumatic symptoms and 2-week depression. RESULTS Eight-week depression prevalence was relatively high (27.8%) and associated with several MVC characteristics (being passenger v. driver; injuries to other people). Peritraumatic distress was associated with 2-week but not 8-week depression. Most of these associations held when controlling for peritraumatic symptoms and, to a lesser degree, depressive symptoms at 2-weeks post-trauma. CONCLUSIONS These observations, coupled with substantial variation in the relative strength of the mediating pathways across predictors, raises the possibility of diverse and potentially complex underlying biological and psychological processes that remain to be elucidated in more in-depth analyses of the rich and evolving AURORA database to find new targets for intervention and new tools for risk-based stratification following trauma exposure.
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Sterina E, Michopoulos V, Linnstaedt SD, Neylan TC, Clifford GD, Ethun KF, Lori A, Wingo AP, Rothbaum BO, Ressler KJ, Stevens JS. Time of trauma prospectively affects PTSD symptom severity: The impact of circadian rhythms and cortisol. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2022; 141:105729. [PMID: 35413575 PMCID: PMC9250148 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2022.105729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Revised: 03/13/2022] [Accepted: 03/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
A key feature of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a disruption of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis feedback sensitivity and cortisol levels. Despite known diurnal rhythmicity of cortisol, there has been little exploration of the circadian timing of the index trauma and consequent cortisol release. Stress-related glucocorticoid pulses have been shown to shift clocks in peripheral organs but not the suprachiasmatic nucleus, uncoupling the central and peripheral clocks. A sample of 425 participants was recruited in the Emergency Department following a DSM-IV-TR Criterion A trauma. The Zeitgeber time of the trauma was indexed in minutes since sunrise, which was hypothesized to covary with circadian blood cortisol levels (high around sunrise and decreasing over the day). Blood samples were collected M(SD)= 4.0(4.0) hours post-trauma. PTSD symptoms six months post-trauma were found to be negatively correlated with trauma time since sunrise (r(233) = -0.15, p = 0.02). The effect remained when adjusting for sex, age, race, clinician-rated severity, education, pre-trauma PTSD symptoms, and time of the blood draw (β = -0.21, p = 0.00057). Cortisol levels did not correlate with blood draw time, consistent with a masking effect of the acute stress response obscuring the underlying circadian rhythm. Interactions between trauma time and expression of NPAS2 (punadjusted=0.042) and TIMELESS (punadjusted=0.029) predicted six-month PTSD symptoms. The interaction of trauma time and cortisol concentration was significantly correlated with the expression of PER1 (padjusted=0.029). The differential effect of time of day on future symptom severity suggests a role of circadian effects in PTSD development, potentially through peripheral clock disruption.
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Mekawi Y, Silverstein MW, Walker A, Ishiekwene M, Carter S, Michopoulos V, Stevens JS, Powers A. Examining the psychometric properties of the PCL-5 in a black community sample using item response theory. J Anxiety Disord 2022; 87:102555. [PMID: 35338915 PMCID: PMC9275184 DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2022.102555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Revised: 02/03/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Black Americans are more likely to be exposed to certain types of traumatic events and experience posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) compared to other racial groups. Consequently, sound assessment of PTSD in this underserved and understudied population is necessary to develop and accurately answer research questions about etiology and intervention efficacy. However, the item-level psychometric properties of one of the most commonly used assessment tools, the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), has yet to be examined among Black Americans. To address this gap, we used item response theory (IRT) to assess item difficulty and discrimination in a sample of Black American adults (n = 307). We employed a graded response model with all 20 items of the PCL-5 loading on to a latent PTSD factor. At clinically significant levels of PTSD, the most discriminating items were flashbacks, inability to experience positive emotions, and nightmares and the least discriminating items were cued emotional distress, diminished interest, and hypervigilance. These results emphasize the importance of flashbacks, inability to experience positive emotions, and nightmares and deemphasize the importance of hypervigilance and sleep difficulties when assessing for clinically significant symptoms of PTSD in Black Americans. Treatment implications include a nuanced approach towards hypervigilance.
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Maihofer AX, Choi KW, Coleman JR, Daskalakis NP, Denckla CA, Ketema E, Morey RA, Polimanti R, Ratanatharathorn A, Torres K, Wingo AP, Zai CC, Aiello AE, Almli LM, Amstadter AB, Andersen SB, Andreassen OA, Arbisi PA, Ashley-Koch AE, Austin SB, Avdibegović E, Borglum AD, Babić D, Bækvad-Hansen M, Baker DG, Beckham JC, Bierut LJ, Bisson JI, Boks MP, Bolger EA, Bradley B, Brashear M, Breen G, Bryant RA, Bustamante AC, Bybjerg-Grauholm J, Calabrese JR, Caldas-de-Almeida JM, Chen CY, Dale AM, Dalvie S, Deckert J, Delahanty DL, Dennis MF, Disner SG, Domschke K, Duncan LE, Kulenović AD, Erbes CR, Evans A, Farrer LA, Feeny NC, Flory JD, Forbes D, Franz CE, Galea S, Garrett ME, Gautam A, Gelaye B, Gelernter J, Geuze E, Gillespie CF, Goçi A, Gordon SD, Guffanti G, Hammamieh R, Hauser MA, Heath AC, Hemmings SM, Hougaard DM, Jakovljević M, Jett M, Johnson EO, Jones I, Jovanovic T, Qin XJ, Karstoft KI, Kaufman ML, Kessler RC, Khan A, Kimbrel NA, King AP, Koen N, Kranzler HR, Kremen WS, Lawford BR, Lebois LA, Lewis C, Liberzon I, Linnstaedt SD, Logue MW, Lori A, Lugonja B, Luykx JJ, Lyons MJ, Maples-Keller JL, Marmar C, Martin NG, Maurer D, Mavissakalian MR, McFarlane A, McGlinchey RE, McLaughlin KA, McLean SA, Mehta D, Mellor R, Michopoulos V, Milberg W, Miller MW, Morris CP, Mors O, Mortensen PB, Nelson EC, Nordentoft M, Norman SB, O’Donnell M, Orcutt HK, Panizzon MS, Peters ES, Peterson AL, Peverill M, Pietrzak RH, Polusny MA, Rice JP, Risbrough VB, Roberts AL, Rothbaum AO, Rothbaum BO, Roy-Byrne P, Ruggiero KJ, Rung A, Rutten BP, Saccone NL, Sanchez SE, Schijven D, Seedat S, Seligowski AV, Seng JS, Sheerin CM, Silove D, Smith AK, Smoller JW, Sponheim SR, Stein DJ, Stevens JS, Teicher MH, Thompson WK, Trapido E, Uddin M, Ursano RJ, van den Heuvel LL, Van Hooff M, Vermetten E, Vinkers C, Voisey J, Wang Y, Wang Z, Werge T, Williams MA, Williamson DE, Winternitz S, Wolf C, Wolf EJ, Yehuda R, Young KA, Young RM, Zhao H, Zoellner LA, Haas M, Lasseter H, Provost AC, Salem RM, Sebat J, Shaffer RA, Wu T, Ripke S, Daly MJ, Ressler KJ, Koenen KC, Stein MB, Nievergelt CM. Enhancing Discovery of Genetic Variants for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Through Integration of Quantitative Phenotypes and Trauma Exposure Information. Biol Psychiatry 2022; 91:626-636. [PMID: 34865855 PMCID: PMC8917986 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2021.09.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Revised: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is heritable and a potential consequence of exposure to traumatic stress. Evidence suggests that a quantitative approach to PTSD phenotype measurement and incorporation of lifetime trauma exposure (LTE) information could enhance the discovery power of PTSD genome-wide association studies (GWASs). METHODS A GWAS on PTSD symptoms was performed in 51 cohorts followed by a fixed-effects meta-analysis (N = 182,199 European ancestry participants). A GWAS of LTE burden was performed in the UK Biobank cohort (N = 132,988). Genetic correlations were evaluated with linkage disequilibrium score regression. Multivariate analysis was performed using Multi-Trait Analysis of GWAS. Functional mapping and annotation of leading loci was performed with FUMA. Replication was evaluated using the Million Veteran Program GWAS of PTSD total symptoms. RESULTS GWASs of PTSD symptoms and LTE burden identified 5 and 6 independent genome-wide significant loci, respectively. There was a 72% genetic correlation between PTSD and LTE. PTSD and LTE showed largely similar patterns of genetic correlation with other traits, albeit with some distinctions. Adjusting PTSD for LTE reduced PTSD heritability by 31%. Multivariate analysis of PTSD and LTE increased the effective sample size of the PTSD GWAS by 20% and identified 4 additional loci. Four of these 9 PTSD loci were independently replicated in the Million Veteran Program. CONCLUSIONS Through using a quantitative trait measure of PTSD, we identified novel risk loci not previously identified using prior case-control analyses. PTSD and LTE have a high genetic overlap that can be leveraged to increase discovery power through multivariate methods.
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Germine LT, Joormann J, Passell E, Rutter LA, Scheuer L, Martini P, Hwang I, Lee S, Sampson N, Barch DM, House SL, Beaudoin FL, An X, Stevens JS, Zeng D, Linnstaedt SD, Jovanovic T, Clifford GD, Neylan TC, Rauch SL, Lewandowski C, Hendry PL, Sheikh S, Storrow AB, Musey PI, Jones CW, Punches BE, McGrath ME, Pascual JL, Mohiuddin K, Pearson C, Peak DA, Domeier RM, Bruce SE, Rathlev NK, Sanchez LD, Pietrzak RH, Pizzagalli DA, Harte SE, Elliott JM, Koenen KC, Ressler KJ, McLean SA, Kessler RC. Neurocognition after motor vehicle collision and adverse post-traumatic neuropsychiatric sequelae within 8 weeks: Initial findings from the AURORA study. J Affect Disord 2022; 298:57-67. [PMID: 34800569 PMCID: PMC10878171 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2021.10.104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Revised: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous work has indicated that differences in neurocognitive functioning may predict the development of adverse post-traumatic neuropsychiatric sequelae (APNS). Such differences may be vulnerability factors or simply correlates of APNS-related symptoms. Longitudinal studies that measure neurocognitive functioning at the time of trauma are needed to determine whether such differences precede the development of APNS. METHODS Here, we present findings from a subsample of 666 ambulatory patients from the AURORA (Advancing Understanding of RecOvery afteR trumA) study. All patients presented to EDs after a motor vehicle collision (MVC). We examined associations of neurocognitive test performance shortly after MVC with peritraumatic symptoms in the ED and APNS (depression, post-traumatic stress, post-concussive symptoms, and pain) 2 weeks and 8 weeks later. Neurocognitive tests assessed processing speed, attention, verbal reasoning, memory, and social perception. RESULTS Distress in the ED was associated with poorer processing speed and short-term memory. Poorer short-term memory was also associated with depression at 2 weeks post-MVC, even after controlling for peritraumatic distress. Finally, higher vocabulary scores were associated with pain 2 weeks post-MVC. LIMITATIONS Self-selection biases among those who present to the ED and enroll in the study limit generalizability. Also, it is not clear whether observed neurocognitive differences predate MVC exposure or arise in the immediate aftermath of MVC exposure. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that processing speed and short-term memory may be useful predictors of trauma-related characteristics and the development of some APNS, making such measures clinically-relevant for identifying at-risk individuals.
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Harnett NG, Stevens JS, Fani N, van Rooij SJH, Ely TD, Michopoulos V, Hudak L, Rothbaum AO, Hinrichs R, Winters SJ, Jovanovic T, Rothbaum BO, Nickerson LD, Ressler KJ. Acute Posttraumatic Symptoms Are Associated With Multimodal Neuroimaging Structural Covariance Patterns: A Possible Role for the Neural Substrates of Visual Processing in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2022; 7:129-138. [PMID: 33012681 PMCID: PMC7954466 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2020.07.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2020] [Revised: 07/10/2020] [Accepted: 07/31/2020] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although aspects of brain morphology have been associated with chronic posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), limited work has investigated multimodal patterns in brain morphology that are linked to acute posttraumatic stress severity. In the present study, we utilized multimodal magnetic resonance imaging to investigate if structural covariance networks (SCNs) assessed acutely following trauma were linked to acute posttraumatic stress severity. METHODS Structural magnetic resonance imaging data were collected around 1 month after civilian trauma exposure in 78 participants. Multimodal magnetic resonance imaging data fusion was completed to identify combinations of SCNs, termed structural covariance profiles (SCPs), related to acute posttraumatic stress severity collected at 1 month. Analyses assessed the relationship between participant SCP loadings, acute posttraumatic stress severity, the change in posttraumatic stress severity from 1 to 12 months, and depressive symptoms. RESULTS We identified an SCP that reflected greater gray matter properties of the anterior temporal lobe, fusiform face area, and visual cortex (i.e., the ventral visual stream) that varied curvilinearly with acute posttraumatic stress severity and the change in PTSD symptom severity from 1 to 12 months. The SCP was not associated with depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS We identified combinations of multimodal SCNs that are related to variability in PTSD symptoms in the early aftermath of trauma. The identified SCNs may reflect patterns of neuroanatomical organization that provide unique insight into acute posttraumatic stress. Furthermore, these multimodal SCNs may be potential candidates for neural markers of susceptibility to both acute posttraumatic stress and the future development of PTSD.
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Fani N, Harnett NG, Bradley B, Mekawi Y, Powers A, Stevens JS, Ressler KJ, Carter SE. Racial Discrimination and White Matter Microstructure in Trauma-Exposed Black Women. Biol Psychiatry 2022; 91:254-261. [PMID: 34776124 PMCID: PMC8714668 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2021.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2021] [Revised: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Experiences of racial discrimination are linked to a range of negative brain health outcomes, but little is known about how these experiences impact neural architecture, including white matter microstructure, which may partially mediate these outcomes. Our goal was to examine associations between racially discriminatory experiences and white matter structural integrity in a sample of Black American women. METHODS We recruited 116 Black American women as part of a long-standing study of trauma. Participants completed assessments of racial discrimination, trauma exposure, and posttraumatic stress disorder and underwent diffusion tensor imaging. Fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity values were extracted from major white matter tracts throughout the brain. RESULTS Experiences of racial discrimination were associated with significantly lower fractional anisotropy in multiple white matter tracts, including the corpus callosum, cingulum, and superior longitudinal fasciculus (ps < .004), even after accounting for variance associated with trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder, and demographic- and scanner-related factors. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that experiences of racial discrimination are independently related to decrements in white matter microarchitecture throughout the brain. In individuals who have experienced other types of adversity, racial discrimination clearly has additive and distinctive deleterious effects on white matter structure. Our findings suggest a pathway through which racial discrimination can contribute to brain health disparities in Black Americans; the deleterious contributions of racial discrimination on the microstructure of major white matter pathways may increase vulnerability for the development of neurodegenerative disorders as well as the development of mental health problems.
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Powers A, Hinojosa CA, Stevens JS, Harvey B, Pas P, Rothbaum BO, Ressler KJ, Jovanovic T, van Rooij SJH. Right inferior frontal gyrus and ventromedial prefrontal activation during response inhibition is implicated in the development of PTSD symptoms. Eur J Psychotraumatol 2022; 13:2059993. [PMID: 35432781 PMCID: PMC9009908 DOI: 10.1080/20008198.2022.2059993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Inhibition is a critical executive control process and an established neurobiological phenotype of PTSD, yet to our knowledge, no prospective studies have examined this using a contextual cue task that enables measurement of behavioural response and neural activation patterns across proactive and reactive inhibition. Objective The current longitudinal study utilised functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine whether deficits in proactive and reactive inhibition predicted PTSD symptoms six months after trauma. Method Twenty-three (65% males) medical patients receiving emergency medical care from a level 1 trauma centre were enrolled in the study and invited for an MRI scan 1-2-months post-trauma. PTSD symptoms were measured using self-report at scan and 6-months post-trauma. A stop-signal anticipation task (SSAT) during an fMRI scan was used to test whether impaired behavioural proactive and reactive inhibition, and reduced activation in right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG), ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), and bilateral hippocampus, were related to PTSD symptoms. We predicted that lower activation levels of vmPFC and rIFG during reactive inhibition and lower activation of hippocampus and rIFG during proactive inhibition would relate to higher 6-month PTSD symptoms. Results No significant associations were found between behavioural measures and 6-month PTSD. Separate linear regression analyses showed that reduced rIFG activation (F1,21 = 9.97, R2 = .32, p = .005) and reduced vmPFC activation (F1,21 = 5.19, R2 = .20, p = .03) significantly predicted greater 6-month PTSD symptoms; this result held for rIFG activation controlling for demographic variables and baseline PTSD symptoms (β = -.45, p = .04) and Bonferroni correction. Conclusion Our findings suggest that impaired rIFG and, to a lesser extent, vmPFC activation during response inhibition may predict the development of PTSD symptoms following acute trauma exposure. Given the small sample size, future replication studies are needed. HIGHLIGHTS Impaired inhibition may be an important risk factor for the development of PTSD following trauma, with less right inferior frontal gyrus and ventromedial prefrontal cortex activation during response inhibition predicting PTSD development.
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