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Harnett NG, Merrill LC, Fani N. Racial and ethnic socioenvironmental inequity and neuroimaging in psychiatry: a brief review of the past and recommendations for the future. Neuropsychopharmacology 2024:10.1038/s41386-024-01901-7. [PMID: 38902354 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-024-01901-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2024] [Revised: 06/04/2024] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 06/22/2024]
Abstract
Neuroimaging is a major tool that holds immense translational potential for understanding psychiatric disorder phenomenology and treatment. However, although epidemiological and social research highlights the many ways inequity and representativeness influences mental health, there is a lack of consideration of how such issues may impact neuroimaging features in psychiatric research. More specifically, the potential extent to which racialized inequities may affect underlying neurobiology and impact the generalizability of neural models of disorders is unclear. The present review synthesizes research focused on understanding the potential consequences of racial/ethnic inequities relevant to neuroimaging in psychiatry. We first discuss historical and contemporary drivers of inequities that persist today. We then discuss the neurobiological consequences of these inequities as revealed through current research, and note emergent research demonstrating the impact such inequities have on our ability to use neuroimaging to understand psychiatric disease. We end with a set of recommendations and practices to move the field towards more equitable approaches that will advance our abilities to develop truly generalizable neurobiological models of psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathaniel G Harnett
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Livia C Merrill
- Department of Psychology, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Negar Fani
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
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Harnett NG, Fani N, Rowland G, Kumar P, Rutherford S, Nickerson LD. Population-level normative models reveal race- and socioeconomic-related variability in cortical thickness of threat neurocircuitry. Commun Biol 2024; 7:745. [PMID: 38898062 PMCID: PMC11187116 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06436-7] [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: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/11/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
The inequitable distribution of economic resources and exposure to adversity between racial groups contributes to mental health disparities within the United States. Consideration of the potential neurodevelopmental consequences, however, has been limited particularly for neurocircuitry known to regulate the emotional response to threat. Characterizing the consequences of inequity on threat neurocircuitry is critical for robust and generalizable neurobiological models of psychiatric illness. Here we use data from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development Study 4.0 release to investigate the contributions of individual and neighborhood-level economic resources and exposure to discrimination. We investigate the potential appearance of race-related differences using both standard methods and through population-level normative modeling. We show that, in a sample of white and Black adolescents, racial inequities in socioeconomic factors largely contribute to the appearance of race-related differences in cortical thickness of threat neurocircuitry. The race-related differences are preserved through the use of population-level models and such models also preserve associations between cortical thickness and specific socioeconomic factors. The present findings highlight that such socioeconomic inequities largely underlie race-related differences in brain morphology. The present findings provide important new insight for the generation of generalizable neurobiological models of psychiatric illness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathaniel G Harnett
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Negar Fani
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Grace Rowland
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Poornima Kumar
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- McLean Imaging Center, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Saige Rutherford
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, Netherlands
- Donders Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Lisa D Nickerson
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- McLean Imaging Center, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Applied Neuroimaging Statistics Research Laboratory, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
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3
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Peterson A, Sathe A, Zaras D, Yang Y, Durant A, Deters KD, Shashikumar N, Pechman KR, Kim ME, Gao C, Khairi NM, Li Z, Yao T, Huo Y, Dumitrescu L, Gifford KA, Wilson JE, Cambronero F, Risacher SL, Beason-Held LL, An Y, Arfanakis K, Erus G, Davatzikos C, Tosun D, Toga AW, Thompson PM, Mormino EC, Zhang P, Schilling K, Albert M, Kukull W, Biber SA, Landman BA, Johnson SC, Schneider J, Barnes LL, Bennett DA, Jefferson AL, Resnick SM, Saykin AJ, Hohman TJ, Archer DB. Sex, racial, and APOE-ε4 allele differences in longitudinal white matter microstructure in multiple cohorts of aging and Alzheimer's disease. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.10.598357. [PMID: 38915636 PMCID: PMC11195046 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.10.598357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/26/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The effects of sex, race, and Apolipoprotein E (APOE) - Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk factors - on white matter integrity are not well characterized. METHODS Diffusion MRI data from nine well-established longitudinal cohorts of aging were free-water (FW)-corrected and harmonized. This dataset included 4,702 participants (age=73.06 ± 9.75) with 9,671 imaging sessions over time. FW and FW-corrected fractional anisotropy (FAFWcorr) were used to assess differences in white matter microstructure by sex, race, and APOE-ε4 carrier status. RESULTS Sex differences in FAFWcorr in association and projection tracts, racial differences in FAFWcorr in projection tracts, and APOE-ε4 differences in FW limbic and occipital transcallosal tracts were most pronounced. DISCUSSION There are prominent differences in white matter microstructure by sex, race, and APOE-ε4 carrier status. This work adds to our understanding of disparities in AD. Additional work to understand the etiology of these differences is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amalia Peterson
- Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer’s Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN
- Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
| | - Aditi Sathe
- Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer’s Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN
| | - Dimitrios Zaras
- Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer’s Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN
| | - Yisu Yang
- Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer’s Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN
| | - Alaina Durant
- Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer’s Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN
| | - Kacie D. Deters
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles
| | - Niranjana Shashikumar
- Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer’s Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN
| | - Kimberly R. Pechman
- Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer’s Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN
| | - Michael E. Kim
- Department of Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
| | - Chenyu Gao
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
| | - Nazirah Mohd Khairi
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
| | - Zhiyuan Li
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
| | - Tianyuan Yao
- Department of Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
| | - Yuankai Huo
- Department of Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
| | - Logan Dumitrescu
- Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer’s Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN
- Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
| | - Katherine A. Gifford
- Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer’s Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN
- Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
| | - Jo Ellen Wilson
- Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer’s Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN
- Center for Cognitive Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
- Veteran‘s Affairs, Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, Tennessee Valley Healthcare System
| | - Francis Cambronero
- Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer’s Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN
| | - Shannon L. Risacher
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN
- Indiana Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN
| | - Lori L. Beason-Held
- Laboratory for Behavioral Neuroscience, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD
| | - Yang An
- Laboratory for Behavioral Neuroscience, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD
| | - Konstantinos Arfanakis
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL
- Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL
- Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL
| | - Guray Erus
- Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | | | - Duygu Tosun
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
| | - Arthur W. Toga
- Laboratory of Neuroimaging, USC Stevens Institute of Neuroimaging and Informatics, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Paul M. Thompson
- Imaging Genetics Center, Mark and Mary Stevens Institute for Neuroimaging and Informatics, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, CA
| | - Elizabeth C. Mormino
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA
| | - Panpan Zhang
- Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer’s Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
| | - Kurt Schilling
- Department of Radiology & Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN2
- Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
| | | | | | | | - Marilyn Albert
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Baltimore, MD
| | - Walter Kukull
- National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
| | - Sarah A. Biber
- National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
| | - Bennett A. Landman
- Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
- Department of Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
- Department of Radiology & Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN2
- Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
| | - Sterling C. Johnson
- Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
- Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Institute, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
| | - Julie Schneider
- Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL
| | - Lisa L. Barnes
- Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL
| | - David A. Bennett
- Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL
| | - Angela L. Jefferson
- Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer’s Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN
- Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
- Department of Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
| | - Susan M. Resnick
- Laboratory for Behavioral Neuroscience, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD
| | - Andrew J. Saykin
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN
- Indiana Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN
| | - Timothy J. Hohman
- Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer’s Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN
- Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
| | - Derek B. Archer
- Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer’s Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN
- Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
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Elbasheir A, Katrinli S, Kearney BE, Lanius RA, Harnett NG, Carter SE, Ely TD, Bradley B, Gillespie CF, Stevens JS, Lori A, van Rooij SJH, Powers A, Jovanovic T, Smith AK, Fani N. Racial Discrimination, Neural Connectivity, and Epigenetic Aging Among Black Women. JAMA Netw Open 2024; 7:e2416588. [PMID: 38869898 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.16588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Importance Racial discrimination increases the risk of adverse brain health outcomes, potentially via neuroplastic changes in emotion processing networks. The involvement of deep brain regions (brainstem and midbrain) in these responses is unknown. Potential associations of racial discrimination with alterations in deep brain functional connectivity and accelerated epigenetic aging, a process that substantially increases vulnerability to health problems, are also unknown. Objective To examine associations of racial discrimination with brainstem and midbrain resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) and DNA methylation age acceleration (DMAA) among Black women in the US. Design, Setting, and Participants This cohort study was conducted between January 1, 2012, and February 28, 2015, and included a community-based sample of Black women (aged ≥18 years) recruited as part of the Grady Trauma Project. Self-reported racial discrimination was examined in association with seed-to-voxel brain connectivity, including the locus coeruleus (LC), periaqueductal gray (PAG), and superior colliculus (SC); an index of DMAA (Horvath clock) was also evaluated. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), trauma exposure, and age were used as covariates in statistical models to isolate racial discrimination-related variance. Data analysis was conducted between January 10 and October 30, 2023. Exposure Varying levels of racial discrimination exposure, other trauma exposure, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Main Outcomes and Measures Racial discrimination frequency was assessed with the Experiences of Discrimination Scale, other trauma exposure was evaluated with the Traumatic Events Inventory, and current PTSD was evaluated with the PTSD Symptom Scale. Seed-to-voxel functional connectivity analyses were conducted with LC, PAG, and SC seeds. To assess DMAA, the Methylation EPIC BeadChip assay (Illumina) was conducted with whole-blood samples from a subset of 49 participants. Results This study included 90 Black women, with a mean (SD) age of 38.5 (11.3) years. Greater racial discrimination was associated with greater left LC RSFC to the bilateral precuneus (a region within the default mode network implicated in rumination and reliving of past events; cluster size k = 228; t85 = 4.78; P < .001, false discovery rate-corrected). Significant indirect effects were observed for the left LC-precuneus RSFC on the association between racial discrimination and DMAA (β [SE] = 0.45 [0.16]; 95% CI, 0.12-0.77). Conclusions and Relevance In this study, more frequent racial discrimination was associated with proportionately greater RSFC of the LC to the precuneus, and these connectivity alterations were associated with DMAA. These findings suggest that racial discrimination contributes to accelerated biological aging via altered connectivity between the LC and default mode network, increasing vulnerability for brain health problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aziz Elbasheir
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Seyma Katrinli
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Breanne E Kearney
- Department of Neuroscience, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ruth A Lanius
- Department of Neuroscience, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Nathaniel G Harnett
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | | | - Timothy D Ely
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Bekh Bradley
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
- Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Charles F Gillespie
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Jennifer S Stevens
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Adriana Lori
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Sanne J H van Rooij
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Abigail Powers
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Tanja Jovanovic
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan
| | - Alicia K Smith
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Negar Fani
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
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5
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Webb EK, Carter SE, Ressler KJ, Fani N, Harnett NG. The neurophysiological consequences of racism-related stressors in Black Americans. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 161:105638. [PMID: 38522814 PMCID: PMC11081835 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105638] [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: 01/03/2024] [Revised: 03/01/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024]
Abstract
Racism-related stressors, from experiences of both implicit and explicit racial discrimination to systemic socioeconomic disadvantage, have a cumulative impact on Black Americans' health. The present narrative review synthesizes peripheral (neuroendocrine and inflammation markers), psychophysiological (heart-rate variability, skin conductance), and neuroimaging (structural and functional) findings that demonstrate unique associations with racism-related stress. Emerging evidence reveals how racism-related stressors contribute to differential physiological and neural responses and may have distinct impacts on regions involved with threat and social processing. Ultimately, the neurophysiological effects of racism-related stress may confer biological susceptibility to stress and trauma-related disorders. We note critical gaps in the literature on the neurophysiological impact of racism-related stress and outline additional research that is needed on the multifactorial interactions between racism and mental health. A clearer understanding of the interactions between racism-related stress, neurophysiology, and stress- and trauma-related disorders is critical for preventative efforts, biomarker discovery, and selection of effective clinical treatments for Black Americans.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Kate Webb
- McLean Hospital, Division of Depression and Anxiety, Belmont, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sierra E Carter
- Georgia State University, Department of Psychology, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Kerry J Ressler
- McLean Hospital, Division of Depression and Anxiety, Belmont, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Negar Fani
- Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Nathaniel G Harnett
- McLean Hospital, Division of Depression and Anxiety, Belmont, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Boston, MA, USA.
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Cárdenas SI, Waizman Y, Truong V, Sellery P, Stoycos SA, Yeh FC, Rajagopalan V, Saxbe DE. White matter microstructure organization across the transition to fatherhood. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2024; 67:101374. [PMID: 38615555 PMCID: PMC11021911 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2024.101374] [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: 04/12/2022] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024] Open
Abstract
The transition to parenthood remains an understudied window of potential neuroplasticity in the adult brain. White matter microstructural (WMM) organization, which reflects structural connectivity in the brain, has shown plasticity across the lifespan. No studies have examined how WMM organization changes from the prenatal to postpartum period in men becoming fathers. This study investigates WMM organization in men transitioning to first-time fatherhood. We performed diffusion-weighted imaging to identify differences in WMM organization, as indexed by fractional anisotropy (FA). We also investigated whether FA changes were associated with fathers' postpartum mental health. Associations between mental health and WMM organization have not been rarely examined in parents, who may be vulnerable to mental health problems. Fathers exhibited reduced FA at the whole-brain level, especially in the cingulum, a tract associated with emotional regulation. Fathers also displayed reduced FA in the corpus callosum, especially in the forceps minor, which is implicated in cognitive functioning. Postpartum depressive symptoms were linked with increases and decreases in FA, but FA was not correlated with perceived or parenting stress. Findings provide novel insight into fathers' WMM organization during the transition to parenthood and suggest postpartum depression may be linked with fathers' neuroplasticity during the transition to parenthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia I Cárdenas
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, USA
| | - Yael Waizman
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, USA
| | - Van Truong
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, USA
| | - Pia Sellery
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, USA
| | - Sarah A Stoycos
- Department of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, USA
| | - Fang-Cheng Yeh
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, USA
| | - Vidya Rajagopalan
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, USA
| | - Darby E Saxbe
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, USA.
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Green NA. Beyond gender: The biological impacts of inequality through the lens of intersectionality. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2319314121. [PMID: 38252834 PMCID: PMC10835038 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2319314121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Natalie A Green
- The Center for Health and Aging Innovation, Silver School of Social Work, New York University, New York, NY 10003
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Rosario MA, Alotaibi R, Espinal-Martinez AO, Ayoub A, Baumann A, Clark U, Cozier Y, Schon K. Personal Mastery Attenuates the Association between Greater Perceived Discrimination and Lower Amygdala and Anterior Hippocampal Volume in a Diverse Sample of Older Adults. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.12.575447. [PMID: 38293042 PMCID: PMC10827091 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.12.575447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
Abstract
There is limited research investigating whether perceived discrimination influences brain structures that subserve episodic memory, namely the hippocampus and amygdala. Our rationale for examining these regions build on their known sensitivity to stress and functional differences along the long-axis of the hippocampus, with the anterior hippocampus and amygdala implicated in emotional and stress regulation. We defined perceived discrimination as the unfair treatment of one group by a dominant social group without the agency to respond to the event. A potential moderator of perceived discrimination is personal mastery, which we operationally defined as personal agency. Our primary goals were to determine whether perceived discrimination correlated with amygdala and anterior hippocampal volume, and if personal mastery moderated these relationships. Using FreeSurfer 7.1.0, we processed T1-weighted images to extract bilateral amygdala and hippocampal volumes. Discrimination and personal mastery were assessed via self-report (using the Experiences of Discrimination and Sense of Control questionnaires, respectively). Using multiple regression, greater perceived discrimination correlated with lower bilateral amygdala and anterior hippocampal volume, controlling for current stress, sex, education, age, and intracranial volume. Exploratory subfield analyses showed these associations were localized to the anterior hippocampal CA1 and subiculum. As predicted, using a moderation analysis, personal mastery attenuated the relationship between perceived discrimination and amygdala and anterior hippocampal volume. Here, we extend our knowledge on perceived discrimination as a salient psychosocial stressor with a neurobiological impact on brain systems implicated in stress, memory, and emotional regulation, and provide evidence for personal mastery as a moderating factor of these relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael A Rosario
- Graduate Program for Neuroscience, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, 72 East Concord Street, MA 02118, USA
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, 72 East Concord Street, Boston, MA 02118, USA
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Boston University, 610 Commonwealth Avenue, 7 Floor, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Razan Alotaibi
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, 72 East Concord Street, Boston, MA 02118, USA
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Boston University, 610 Commonwealth Avenue, 7 Floor, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Alan O Espinal-Martinez
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, 72 East Concord Street, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Amara Ayoub
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, 72 East Concord Street, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Aletha Baumann
- Department of Psychology, University of the Virgin Islands, RR02 Box 10000, St. Croix, USVI 00823, USA
| | - Uraina Clark
- Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Yvette Cozier
- Slone Epidemiology Center, Boston University, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, 72 East Concord Street, MA 02118, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, 715 Albany Street, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Karin Schon
- Graduate Program for Neuroscience, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, 72 East Concord Street, MA 02118, USA
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, 72 East Concord Street, Boston, MA 02118, USA
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Boston University, 610 Commonwealth Avenue, 7 Floor, Boston, MA 02215, USA
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9
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Merz EC, Myers B, Hansen M, Simon KR, Strack J, Noble KG. Socioeconomic Disparities in Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Regulation and Prefrontal Cortical Structure. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY GLOBAL OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 4:83-96. [PMID: 38090738 PMCID: PMC10714216 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2023.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Socioeconomic disadvantage during childhood predicts an increased risk for mental health problems across the life span. Socioeconomic disadvantage shapes multiple aspects of children's proximal environments and increases exposure to chronic stressors. Drawing from multiple literatures, we propose that childhood socioeconomic disadvantage may lead to adaptive changes in the regulation of stress response systems including the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. These changes, in turn, affect the development of prefrontal cortical (PFC) circuitry responsible for top-down control over cognitive and emotional processes. Translational findings indicate that chronic stress reduces dendritic complexity and spine density in the medial PFC and anterior cingulate cortex, in part through altered HPA axis regulation. Socioeconomic disadvantage has frequently been associated with reduced gray matter in the dorsolateral and ventrolateral PFC and anterior cingulate cortex and lower fractional anisotropy in the superior longitudinal fasciculus, cingulum bundle, and uncinate fasciculus during middle childhood and adolescence. Evidence of socioeconomic disparities in hair cortisol concentrations in children has accumulated, although null findings have been reported. Coupled with links between cortisol levels and reduced gray matter in the PFC and anterior cingulate cortex, these results support mechanistic roles for the HPA axis and these PFC circuits. Future longitudinal studies should simultaneously consider multiple dimensions of proximal factors, including cognitive stimulation, while focusing on epigenetic processes and genetic moderators to elucidate how socioeconomic context may influence the HPA axis and PFC circuitry involved in cognitive and emotional control. These findings, which point to modifiable factors, can be harnessed to inform policy and more effective prevention strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily C. Merz
- Department of Psychology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
| | - Brent Myers
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
| | - Melissa Hansen
- Department of Psychology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
| | - Katrina R. Simon
- Department of Biobehavioral Sciences, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, New York
| | - Jordan Strack
- Department of Psychology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
| | - Kimberly G. Noble
- Department of Biobehavioral Sciences, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, New York
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Fulton T, Lathan EC, Karkare MC, Guelfo A, Eghbalzad L, Ahluwalia V, Ely TD, Turner JA, Turner MD, Currier JM, Mekawi Y, Fani N. Civilian Moral Injury and Amygdala Functional Connectivity During Attention to Threat. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2024; 9:112-120. [PMID: 37487958 PMCID: PMC10803642 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2023.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Revised: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Moral injury references emotional and spiritual/existential suffering that may emerge following psychological trauma. Despite being linked to adverse mental health outcomes, little is known about the neurophysiological mechanisms of this phenomenon. In this study, we examined neural correlates of moral injury exposure and distress using the Moral Injury Exposure and Symptom Scale for Civilians. We also examined potential moderation of these effects by race (Black vs. White individuals) given the likely intersection of race-related stress with moral injury. METHODS Forty-eight adults ages 18 to 65 years (mean age = 30.56, SD = 11.93) completed the Moral Injury Exposure and Symptom Scale for Civilians and an affective attentional control measure, the affective Stroop task (AS), during functional magnetic resonance imaging; the AS includes presentation of threat-relevant and neutral distractor stimuli. Voxelwise functional connectivity of the bilateral amygdala was examined in response to threat-relevant versus neutral AS distractor trials. RESULTS Functional connectivity between the right amygdala and left postcentral gyrus/primary somatosensory cortex was positively correlated with the Moral Injury Exposure and Symptom Scale for Civilians exposure score (voxelwise p < .001, cluster false discovery rate-corrected p < .05) in response to threat versus neutral AS distractor trials. Follow-up analyses revealed significant effects of race; Black but not White participants demonstrated this significant pattern of amygdala-left somatosensory cortex connectivity. CONCLUSIONS Increased exposure to potentially morally injurious events may lead to emotion-somatosensory pathway disruptions during attention to threat-relevant stimuli. These effects may be most potent for individuals who have experienced multilayered exposure to morally injurious events, including racial trauma. Moral injury appears to have a distinct neurobiological signature that involves abnormalities in connectivity of emotion-somatosensory paths, which may be amplified by race-related stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Travis Fulton
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia; Molecular and Systems Pharmacology PhD Program, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Emma C Lathan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Maya C Karkare
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Alfonsina Guelfo
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Leyla Eghbalzad
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Vishwadeep Ahluwalia
- Center for Advanced Brain Imaging, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Timothy D Ely
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | | | | | - Joseph M Currier
- Department of Psychology, University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama
| | - Yara Mekawi
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky
| | - Negar Fani
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.
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11
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Sarullo K, Barch DM, Smyser CD, Rogers C, Warner BB, Miller JP, England SK, Luby J, Swamidass SJ. Disentangling Socioeconomic Status and Race in Infant Brain, Birth Weight, and Gestational Age at Birth: A Neural Network Analysis. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY GLOBAL OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 4:135-144. [PMID: 38298774 PMCID: PMC10829562 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2023.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Revised: 05/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Race is commonly used as a proxy for multiple features including socioeconomic status. It is critical to dissociate these factors, to identify mechanisms that affect infant outcomes, such as birth weight, gestational age, and brain development, and to direct appropriate interventions and shape public policy. Methods Demographic, socioeconomic, and clinical variables were used to model infant outcomes. There were 351 participants included in the analysis for birth weight and gestational age. For the analysis using brain volumes, 280 participants were included after removing participants with missing magnetic resonance imaging scans and those matching our exclusion criteria. We modeled these three different infant outcomes, including infant brain, birth weight, and gestational age, with both linear and nonlinear models. Results Nonlinear models were better predictors of infant birth weight than linear models (R2 = 0.172 vs. R2 = 0.145, p = .005). In contrast to linear models, nonlinear models ranked income, neighborhood disadvantage, and experiences of discrimination higher in importance than race while modeling birth weight. Race was not an important predictor for either gestational age or structural brain volumes. Conclusions Consistent with the extant social science literature, the findings related to birth weight suggest that race is a linear proxy for nonlinear factors related to structural racism. Methods that can disentangle factors often correlated with race are important for policy in that they may better identify and rank the modifiable factors that influence outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn Sarullo
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Deanna M. Barch
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, School of Arts & Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Christopher D. Smyser
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Cynthia Rogers
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Barbara B. Warner
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - J. Philip Miller
- Division of Biostatistics, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Sarah K. England
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Joan Luby
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - S. Joshua Swamidass
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
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12
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Haller OC, King TZ, Mathur M, Turner JA, Wang C, Jovanovic T, Stevens JS, Fani N. White matter predictors of PTSD: Testing different machine learning models in a sample of Black American women. J Psychiatr Res 2023; 168:256-262. [PMID: 37922600 PMCID: PMC10841705 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2023.10.046] [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: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Machine learning neuroimaging studies of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) show promise for identifying neurobiological signatures of PTSD. However, studies to date, have largely evaluated a single machine learning approach, and few studies have examined white matter microstructure as a predictor of PTSD. Further, individuals from minoritized racial groups, specifically, Black individuals, who experience disproportionate trauma frequency, and have relatively higher rates of PTSD, have been underrepresented in these studies. We used four different machine learning models to test white matter microstructure classifiers of PTSD in a sample of trauma-exposed Black American women with and without PTSD. METHOD Participants included 45 Black women with PTSD and 89 trauma-exposed controls recruited from an ongoing trauma study. Current PTSD presence was estimated using the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale. Average fractional anisotropy of 53 white matter tracts served as input features. Additional exploratory analysis incorporated estimates of interpersonal and structural racism exposure. Classification models included linear support vector machine, radial basis function support vector machine, multilayer perceptron, and random forest. RESULTS Performance varied notably between models. With white matter features along, linear support vector machine demonstrated the best model fit and reached an average AUC = 0.643. Inclusion of estimates of exposure to racism increased linear support vector machine performance (AUC = 0.808). CONCLUSIONS White matter microstructure had limited ability to predict PTSD presence in this sample. These results may indicate that the relationship between white matter microstructure and PTSD may be nuanced across race and gender spectrums.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia C Haller
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
| | - Tricia Z King
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Mrinal Mathur
- Department of Computer Science, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Jessica A Turner
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Chenyang Wang
- Institute of Child Development, College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Tanja Jovanovic
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Jennifer S Stevens
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Negar Fani
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
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13
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Wong SA, Lebois LAM, Ely TD, van Rooij SJH, Bruce SE, Murty VP, Jovanovic T, 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, Pearson C, Peak DA, Merchant RC, Domeier RM, Rathlev NK, O'Neil BJ, Sergot P, Sanchez LD, Miller MW, Pietrzak RH, Joormann J, Barch DM, Pizzagalli DA, Harte SE, Elliott JM, Kessler RC, Koenen KC, McLean SA, Ressler KJ, Stevens JS, Harnett NG. Internal capsule microstructure mediates the relationship between childhood maltreatment and PTSD following adulthood trauma exposure. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:5140-5149. [PMID: 36932158 PMCID: PMC10505244 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-02012-3] [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: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/19/2023]
Abstract
Childhood trauma is a known risk factor for trauma and stress-related disorders in adulthood. However, limited research has investigated the impact of childhood trauma on brain structure linked to later posttraumatic dysfunction. We investigated the effect of childhood trauma on white matter microstructure after recent trauma and its relationship with future posttraumatic dysfunction among trauma-exposed adult participants (n = 202) recruited from emergency departments as part of the AURORA Study. Participants completed self-report scales assessing prior childhood maltreatment within 2-weeks in addition to assessments of PTSD, depression, anxiety, and dissociation symptoms within 6-months of their traumatic event. Fractional anisotropy (FA) obtained from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) collected at 2-weeks and 6-months was used to index white matter microstructure. Childhood maltreatment load predicted 6-month PTSD symptoms (b = 1.75, SE = 0.78, 95% CI = [0.20, 3.29]) and inversely varied with FA in the bilateral internal capsule (IC) at 2-weeks (p = 0.0294, FDR corrected) and 6-months (p = 0.0238, FDR corrected). We observed a significant indirect effect of childhood maltreatment load on 6-month PTSD symptoms through 2-week IC microstructure (b = 0.37, Boot SE = 0.18, 95% CI = [0.05, 0.76]) that fully mediated the effect of childhood maltreatment load on PCL-5 scores (b = 1.37, SE = 0.79, 95% CI = [-0.18, 2.93]). IC microstructure did not mediate relationships between childhood maltreatment and depressive, anxiety, or dissociative symptomatology. Our findings suggest a unique role for IC microstructure as a stable neural pathway between childhood trauma and future PTSD symptoms following recent trauma. Notably, our work did not support roles of white matter tracts previously found to vary with PTSD symptoms and childhood trauma exposure, including the cingulum bundle, uncinate fasciculus, and corpus callosum. Given the IC contains sensory fibers linked to perception and motor control, childhood maltreatment might impact the neural circuits that relay and process threat-related inputs and responses to trauma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha A Wong
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Lauren A M Lebois
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Timothy D Ely
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Sanne J H van Rooij
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Steven E Bruce
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri-St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Vishnu P Murty
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Tanja Jovanovic
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Stacey L House
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Francesca L Beaudoin
- Department of Epidemiology, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Xinming An
- Institute for Trauma Recovery, Department of Anesthesiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Donglin Zeng
- Department of Biostatistics, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Thomas C Neylan
- Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Gari D Clifford
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Sarah D Linnstaedt
- Institute for Trauma Recovery, Department of Anesthesiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Laura T Germine
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Institute for Technology in Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- The Many Brains Project, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Kenneth A Bollen
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience & Department of Sociology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Scott L Rauch
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Institute for Technology in Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - John P Haran
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Alan B Storrow
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | | | - Paul I Musey
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Phyllis L Hendry
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine-Jacksonville, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Sophia Sheikh
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine-Jacksonville, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Christopher W Jones
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, NJ, USA
| | - Brittany E Punches
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA
- Ohio State University College of Nursing, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Michael C Kurz
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA
- Department of Surgery, Division of Acute Care Surgery, University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA
- Center for Injury Science, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Robert A Swor
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, Rochester, MI, USA
| | - Lauren A Hudak
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Jose L Pascual
- Department of Surgery, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Mark J Seamon
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Surgery, Division of Traumatology, Surgical Critical Care and Emergency Surgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Claire Pearson
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Wayne State University, Ascension St. John Hospital, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - David A Peak
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Roland C Merchant
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Robert M Domeier
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Saint Joseph Mercy Hospital, Ypsilanti, MI, USA
| | - Niels K Rathlev
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School-Baystate, Springfield, MA, USA
| | - Brian J O'Neil
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Wayne State University, Detroit Receiving Hospital, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Paulina Sergot
- Department of Emergency Medicine, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Leon D Sanchez
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Mark W Miller
- National Center for PTSD, Behavioral Science Division, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Robert H Pietrzak
- National Center for PTSD, Clinical Neurosciences Division, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Jutta Joormann
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Deanna M Barch
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Diego A Pizzagalli
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Steven E Harte
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine-Rheumatology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - James M Elliott
- Kolling Institute, University of Sydney, St Leonards, NSW, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Northern Sydney Local Health District, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
- Physical Therapy & Human Movement Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Ronald C Kessler
- Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Karestan C Koenen
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Samuel A McLean
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Institute for Trauma Recovery, Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Kerry J Ressler
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jennifer S Stevens
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
| | - Nathaniel G Harnett
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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14
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Walsemann KM, Hair NL, Farina MP, Tyagi P, Jackson H, Ailshire JA. State-level desegregation in the U.S. South and mid-life cognitive function among Black and White adults. Soc Sci Med 2023; 338:116319. [PMID: 37871395 PMCID: PMC10872867 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.116319] [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: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Black adults experience worse cognitive function than their White peers. Although educational attainment is an important predictor of cognitive function, other aspects of education, including school desegregation, may also shape this relationship. For Black adults who grew up in the U.S. South in the 1950s-1970s, exposure to school desegregation may have altered life course pathways critical for later cognitive function. OBJECTIVE We determined if state variation in exposure to school desegregation in the U.S. South was associated with cognitive function at mid-life, if the association varied by race, and if the association remained after adjustment for state-level education quality and respondents' educational attainment. METHODS We linked historical data on state-level school desegregation to the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults aged 50 and older. We restricted our sample to Black (n = 1443) and White (n = 1507) adults born between 1948 and 1963 who resided in the U.S. South during primary school. We assessed three cognition outcomes: total cognitive function, episodic memory, and mental status. We estimated race-stratified linear regression models with cluster adjustment and a final model using state fixed effects. RESULTS Greater exposure to desegregated primary schooling was associated with higher cognitive function and episodic memory among Black but not White adults. Among Black adults, the association between school desegregation and cognitive function and episodic memory remained after adjustment for state-level education quality and educational attainment. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that state-level school desegregation efforts played a consequential role in shaping the cognitive function of Black adults who grew up in the U.S. South.
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Hill-Jarrett TG. The Black radical imagination: a space of hope and possible futures. Front Neurol 2023; 14:1241922. [PMID: 37808484 PMCID: PMC10557459 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1241922] [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: 06/17/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The radical imagination entails stepping outside the confines of the now and into the expansiveness of what could be. It has been described as the ability to dream of possible futures and bring these possibilities back to the present to drive social transformation. This perspective paper seeks to provide an overview of the radical imagination and its intersections with Afrofuturism, a framework and artistic epistemology that expresses the Black cultural experience through a space of hope where Blackness is integral. In this paper, I propose three processes that comprise the radical imagination: (1) imagining alternative Black futures, (2) radical hope, and (3) collective courage. I consider the neural networks that underlie each process and consider how the Black radical imagination is a portal through which aging Black adults experience hope and envision futures that drive social change. I conclude with considerations of what brain health and healing justice looks like for aging Black Americans- specifically, how invocation of the Black radical imagination may have positive brain health effects for a demographic group at increased risk for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanisha G. Hill-Jarrett
- Global Brain Health Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Department of Neurology, Memory and Aging Center, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
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Stevens JS, Hinojosa CA. It's Not All in Your Head: Discrimination and Its Association With the Brain-Gut Axis. Biol Psychiatry 2023; 94:186-188. [PMID: 37437988 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2023.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 07/14/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer S Stevens
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia; Atlanta VA Center for Visual and Neurocognitive Rehabilitation, Atlanta VA Healthcare System, Decatur, Georgia.
| | - Cecilia A Hinojosa
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
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17
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Webb EK. Weathering of Brain Microstructure Links Racial Discrimination to Health Problems: A Causal Pathway to Health Inequities? BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2023; 8:685-686. [PMID: 37419609 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2023.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/09/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- E Kate Webb
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, and the Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts.
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18
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Okeke O, Elbasheir A, Carter SE, Powers A, Mekawi Y, Gillespie CF, Schwartz AC, Bradley B, Fani N. Indirect Effects of Racial Discrimination on Health Outcomes Through Prefrontal Cortical White Matter Integrity. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2023; 8:741-749. [PMID: 35597432 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2022.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 04/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Racial discrimination is consistently associated with adverse health outcomes and has been linked to structural decrements in brain white matter. However, it is unclear whether discrimination-related neuroplastic changes could indirectly affect health outcomes. Our goal was to evaluate indirect associations of racial discrimination on health outcomes through white matter microstructure in a sample of trauma-exposed Black women. METHODS A trauma study in an urban hospital setting recruited 79 Black women who received a history and physical examination to assess medical disorders (compiled into a summed total of disorder types). Participants reported on experiences of racial discrimination and underwent diffusion tensor imaging; fractional anisotropy values were extracted from white matter pathways previously linked to racial discrimination (corpus callosum, including the body and genu; anterior cingulum bundle; and superior longitudinal fasciculus) and entered into mediational models. RESULTS Indirect effects of racial discrimination on medical disorders through left anterior cingulum bundle fractional anisotropy were significant (β = 0.07, SE = 0.04, 95% CI [0.003, 0.14]) after accounting for trauma and economic disadvantage. Indirect effects of racial discrimination on medical disorders through corpus callosum genu fractional anisotropy were also significant (β = 0.08, SE = 0.04, 95% CI [0.01, 0.16]). CONCLUSIONS Racial discrimination may increase risk for medical disorders via neuroplastic effects on microstructural integrity of stress-sensitive prefrontal white matter tracts. Racial discrimination-related changes in these tracts may affect health behaviors, which, in turn, influence vulnerability for medical disorders. These data highlight the connections between racial discrimination, prefrontal white matter connections, and incidence of medical disorders in Black Americans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Onyebuchi Okeke
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Aziz Elbasheir
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Sierra E Carter
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Abigail Powers
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Yara Mekawi
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky
| | - Charles F Gillespie
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Ann C Schwartz
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Bekh Bradley
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia; Atlanta VA Medical Center, Decatur, Georgia
| | - Negar Fani
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.
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19
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Zhou Y, Pat N, Neale MC. Associations between resting state functional brain connectivity and childhood anhedonia: A reproduction and replication study. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0277158. [PMID: 37141274 PMCID: PMC10159190 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0277158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previously, a study using a sample of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD)® study from the earlier 1.0 release found differences in several resting state functional MRI (rsfMRI) brain connectivity measures associated with children reporting anhedonia. Here, we aim to reproduce, replicate, and extend the previous findings using data from the later ABCD study 4.0 release, which includes a significantly larger sample. METHODS To reproduce and replicate the previous authors' findings, we analyzed data from the ABCD 1.0 release (n = 2437), from an independent subsample from the newer ABCD 4.0 release (excluding individuals from the 1.0 release) (n = 6456), and from the full ABCD 4.0 release sample (n = 8866). Additionally, we assessed whether using a multiple linear regression approach could improve replicability by controlling for the effects of comorbid psychiatric conditions and sociodemographic covariates. RESULTS While the previously reported associations were reproducible, effect sizes for most rsfMRI measures were drastically reduced in replication analyses (including for both t-tests and multiple linear regressions) using the ABCD 4.0 (excluding 1.0) sample. However, 2 new rsfMRI measures (the Auditory vs. Right Putamen and the Retrosplenial-Temporal vs. Right-Thalamus-Proper measures) exhibited replicable associations with anhedonia and stable, albeit small, effect sizes across the ABCD samples, even after accounting for sociodemographic covariates and comorbid psychiatric conditions using a multiple linear regression approach. CONCLUSION The most statistically significant associations between anhedonia and rsfMRI connectivity measures found in the ABCD 1.0 sample tended to be non-replicable and inflated. Contrastingly, replicable associations exhibited smaller effects with less statistical significance in the ABCD 1.0 sample. Multiple linear regressions helped assess the specificity of these findings and control the effects of confounding covariates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Zhou
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States of America
| | - Narun Pat
- Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Michael C. Neale
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States of America
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20
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La Scala S, Mullins JL, Firat RB, Michalska KJ. Equity, diversity, and inclusion in developmental neuroscience: Practical lessons from community-based participatory research. Front Integr Neurosci 2023; 16:1007249. [PMID: 37007188 PMCID: PMC10060815 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2022.1007249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Exclusion of racialized minorities in neuroscience directly harms communities and potentially leads to biased prevention and intervention approaches. As magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and other neuroscientific techniques offer progressive insights into the neurobiological underpinnings of mental health research agendas, it is incumbent on us as researchers to pay careful attention to issues of diversity and representation as they apply in neuroscience research. Discussions around these issues are based largely on scholarly expert opinion without actually involving the community under study. In contrast, community-engaged approaches, specifically Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR), actively involve the population of interest in the research process and require collaboration and trust between community partners and researchers. This paper outlines a community-engaged neuroscience approach for the development of our developmental neuroscience study on mental health outcomes in preadolescent Latina youth. We focus on “positionality” (the multiple social positions researchers and the community members hold) and “reflexivity” (the ways these positions affect the research process) as conceptual tools from social sciences and humanities. We propose that integrating two unique tools: a positionality map and Community Advisory Board (CAB) into a CBPR framework can counter the biases in human neuroscience research by making often invisible–or taken-for-granted power dynamics visible and bolstering equitable participation of diverse communities in scientific research. We discuss the benefits and challenges of incorporating a CBPR method in neuroscience research with an illustrative example of a CAB from our lab, and highlight key generalizable considerations in research design, implementation, and dissemination that we hope are useful for scholars wishing to take similar approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shayna La Scala
- Department of Sociology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States
| | - Jordan L. Mullins
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States
| | - Rengin B. Firat
- Department of Sociology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States
- Korn Ferry Institute, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | | | - Kalina J. Michalska
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States
- *Correspondence: Kalina J. Michalska,
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21
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Rojczyk P, Seitz-Holland J, Kaufmann E, Sydnor VJ, Kim CL, Umminger LF, Wiegand TLT, Guenette JP, Zhang F, Rathi Y, Bouix S, Pasternak O, Fortier CB, Salat D, Hinds SR, Heinen F, O’Donnell LJ, Milberg WP, McGlinchey RE, Shenton ME, Koerte IK. Sleep Quality Disturbances Are Associated with White Matter Alterations in Veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. J Clin Med 2023; 12:2079. [PMID: 36902865 PMCID: PMC10004675 DOI: 10.3390/jcm12052079] [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: 02/17/2023] [Revised: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Sleep disturbances are strongly associated with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD and mTBI have been linked to alterations in white matter (WM) microstructure, but whether poor sleep quality has a compounding effect on WM remains largely unknown. We evaluated sleep and diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) data from 180 male post-9/11 veterans diagnosed with (1) PTSD (n = 38), (2) mTBI (n = 25), (3) comorbid PTSD+mTBI (n = 94), and (4) a control group with neither PTSD nor mTBI (n = 23). We compared sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, PSQI) between groups using ANCOVAs and calculated regression and mediation models to assess associations between PTSD, mTBI, sleep quality, and WM. Veterans with PTSD and comorbid PTSD+mTBI reported poorer sleep quality than those with mTBI or no history of PTSD or mTBI (p = 0.012 to <0.001). Poor sleep quality was associated with abnormal WM microstructure in veterans with comorbid PTSD+mTBI (p < 0.001). Most importantly, poor sleep quality fully mediated the association between greater PTSD symptom severity and impaired WM microstructure (p < 0.001). Our findings highlight the significant impact of sleep disturbances on brain health in veterans with PTSD+mTBI, calling for sleep-targeted interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philine Rojczyk
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02145, USA
- cBRAIN, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, 80336 Munich, Germany
| | - Johanna Seitz-Holland
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02145, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Elisabeth Kaufmann
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02145, USA
- cBRAIN, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, 80336 Munich, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Valerie J. Sydnor
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02145, USA
| | - Cara L. Kim
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02145, USA
- cBRAIN, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, 80336 Munich, Germany
| | - Lisa F. Umminger
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02145, USA
- cBRAIN, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, 80336 Munich, Germany
| | - Tim L. T. Wiegand
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02145, USA
- cBRAIN, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, 80336 Munich, Germany
| | - Jeffrey P. Guenette
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02145, USA
- Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Fan Zhang
- Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Yogesh Rathi
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02145, USA
- Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Sylvain Bouix
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02145, USA
- Department of Software Engineering and IT, École de Technologie Supérieure, Montreal, QC H3C 1K3, Canada
| | - Ofer Pasternak
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02145, USA
- Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Catherine B. Fortier
- Translational Research Center for TBI and Stress Disorders (TRACTS) and Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center (GRECC), VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA 02130, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - David Salat
- Translational Research Center for TBI and Stress Disorders (TRACTS) and Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center (GRECC), VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA 02130, USA
- Neuroimaging Research for Veterans (NeRVe) Center, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, 02115 MA, USA
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Radiology, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - Sidney R. Hinds
- Department of Neurology, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
| | - Florian Heinen
- Department of Pediatric Neurology and Developmental Medicine and LMU Center for Children with Medical Complexity, Dr. von Hauner Children’s Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, 80337 Munich, Germany
| | - Lauren J. O’Donnell
- Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - William P. Milberg
- Translational Research Center for TBI and Stress Disorders (TRACTS) and Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center (GRECC), VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA 02130, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Neuroimaging Research for Veterans (NeRVe) Center, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, 02115 MA, USA
| | - Regina E. McGlinchey
- Translational Research Center for TBI and Stress Disorders (TRACTS) and Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center (GRECC), VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA 02130, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Neuroimaging Research for Veterans (NeRVe) Center, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, 02115 MA, USA
| | - Martha E. Shenton
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02145, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Inga K. Koerte
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02145, USA
- cBRAIN, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, 80336 Munich, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, 82152 Munich, Germany
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22
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Dumornay NM, Lebois LAM, Ressler KJ, Harnett NG. Racial Disparities in Adversity During Childhood and the False Appearance of Race-Related Differences in Brain Structure. Am J Psychiatry 2023; 180:127-138. [PMID: 36722118 PMCID: PMC9897449 DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.21090961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Black Americans in the United States are disproportionately exposed to childhood adversity compared with White Americans. Such disparities may contribute to race-related differences in brain structures involved in regulating the emotional response to stress, such as the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex (PFC). The authors investigated neuroanatomical consequences of racial disparities in adversity. METHODS The sample included 7,350 White American and 1,786 Black American children (ages 9-10) from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (public data release 2.0). Structural MRI data, parent and child self-reports of adversity-related measures, and U.S. Census neighborhood data were used to investigate the relationship between racial disparities in adversity exposure and race-related differences in brain structure. RESULTS Black children experienced more traumatic events, family conflict, and material hardship on average compared with White children, and their parents or caregivers had lower educational attainment, lower income, and more unemployment compared with those of White children. Black children showed lower amygdala, hippocampus, and PFC gray matter volumes compared with White children. The volumes of the PFC and amygdala, but not the hippocampus, also varied with metrics of childhood adversity, with income being the most common predictor of brain volume differences. Accounting for differences in childhood adversity attenuated the magnitude of some race-related differences in gray matter volume. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that disparities in childhood adversity contribute to race-related differences in gray matter volume in key brain regions associated with threat-related processes. Structural alterations of these regions are linked to cognitive-affective dysfunction observed in disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder. More granular assessments of structural inequities across racial/ethnic identities are needed for a thorough understanding of their impact on the brain. Together, the present findings may provide insight into potential systemic contributors to disparate rates of psychiatric disease among Black and White individuals in the United States.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathalie M. Dumornay
- Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital, Belmont, United States
| | - Lauren A. M. Lebois
- Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital, Belmont, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
| | - Kerry J. Ressler
- Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital, Belmont, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
| | - Nathaniel G. Harnett
- Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital, Belmont, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
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23
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Fleischman DA, Arfanakis K, Zhang S, Leurgans SE, Barnes LL, Bennett DA, Marquez DX, Lamar M. Acculturation in Context and Brain Health in Older Latino Adults: A Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study. J Alzheimers Dis 2023; 95:1585-1595. [PMID: 37718813 PMCID: PMC10599486 DOI: 10.3233/jad-230491] [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] [Indexed: 09/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Latinos are at higher risk of developing mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease than non-Latino Whites. Acculturation factors may influence this risk, yet there are few studies that have examined associations of acculturation, particularly in the context of socioenvironmental and familial factors, and brain health in older Latinos. OBJECTIVE To examine potential associations between acculturation in context and brain health in older Latinos. METHODS Using three previously established composites of acculturation-in-context, (acculturation-related: nativity status, language preference, acculturation scores; contextually-related socioenvironmental: perceived discrimination, loneliness/social isolation, social network size; and familism), and diffusion-tensor imaging (DTI), associations with white matter structural integrity were examined in 92 Latino adults without dementia participating in one of three epidemiological studies of aging. Linear regression models were used to test associations with DTI-derived metrics (fractional anisotropy, FA; trace) as separate outcomes and acculturation composite scores as individual predictors, while adjusting for age, sex, education, scanner, and white matter hyperintensities (voxelwise and total volumes normalized by intracranial volume). RESULTS Higher scores on the socioenvironmental composite were associated with lower FA in two clusters of left-hemisphere connections. Cluster 1 was dominated by both short association pathways connecting frontal regions and projection pathways connecting frontal regions with the thalamus. Cluster 2 was dominated by long association pathways connecting parietal, frontal, and temporal regions. CONCLUSIONS This study of older Latino adults demonstrated an association between reduced brain white matter integrity and contextually related socioenvironmental experiences known to increase risk of MCI and Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debra A. Fleischman
- Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
- Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Konstantinos Arfanakis
- Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
- Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Shengwei Zhang
- Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Sue E. Leurgans
- Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
- Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Lisa L. Barnes
- Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
- Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - David A. Bennett
- Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
- Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - David X. Marquez
- Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
- Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Melissa Lamar
- Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
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24
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Grasser LR, Jovanovic T. Neural Impacts of Stigma, Racism, and Discrimination. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2022; 7:1225-1234. [PMID: 35811064 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2022.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Revised: 05/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Racism is a chronic stressor fueled by stigma that can result in significant distress and dysfunction as well as negatively affect emotions, behavior, quality of life, and brain health. The effects of stigma and discrimination emerge early in life and have long-term consequences. In this review, we sought to use neuroscience research to describe how stigma, racism, and discrimination can impact brain and mental health. Societal stigmas may be encoded by associative fear learning and pattern completion networks, and experiences of racial discrimination may similarly affect threat-responsive regions and circuits. Race-related differences in brain function and structure supporting threat circuitry are largely attenuated when negative life experiences and discrimination are taken into account. Downstream, chronic activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the sympathetic-adrenal-medullary axis in the context of discrimination and stigma can contribute to physical health disparities in minoritized and marginalized groups. Finally, we discuss models that provide a framework for interventions and societal-level strategies across ecologic systems to build resilience and foster posttraumatic growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lana Ruvolo Grasser
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan
| | - Tanja Jovanovic
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan.
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25
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Muscatell KA, Alvarez GM, Bonar AS, Cardenas MN, Galvan MJ, Merritt CC, Starks MD. Brain-body pathways linking racism and health. AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGIST 2022; 77:1049-1060. [PMID: 36595402 PMCID: PMC9887645 DOI: 10.1037/amp0001084] [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] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Racial disparities in health are a major public health problem in the United States, especially when comparing chronic disease morbidity and mortality for Black versus White Americans. These health disparities are primarily due to insidious anti-Black racism that permeates American history, current culture and institutions, and interpersonal interactions. But how does racism get under the skull and the skin to influence brain and bodily processes that impact the health of Black Americans? In the present article, we present a model describing the possible neural and inflammatory mechanisms linking racism and health. We hypothesize that racism influences neural activity and connectivity in the salience and default mode networks of the brain and disrupts interactions between these networks and the executive control network. This pattern of neural functioning in turn leads to greater sympathetic nervous system signaling, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activation, and increased expression of genes involved in inflammation, ultimately leading to higher levels of proinflammatory cytokines in the body and brain. Over time, these neural and physiological responses can lead to chronic physical and mental health conditions, disrupt well-being, and cause premature mortality. Given that research in this area is underdeveloped to date, we emphasize opportunities for future research that are needed to build a comprehensive mechanistic understanding of the brain-body pathways linking anti-Black racism and health. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
- Keely A Muscatell
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Gabriella M Alvarez
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Adrienne S Bonar
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Megan N Cardenas
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Manuel J Galvan
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Carrington C Merritt
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Maurryce D Starks
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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26
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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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Affiliation(s)
- Negar Fani
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
| | - Leyla Eghbalzad
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Nathaniel G Harnett
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sierra E Carter
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Matthew Price
- Department of Psychological Science, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Jennifer S Stevens
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Kerry J Ressler
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sanne J H van Rooij
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Bekh Bradley
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Atlanta VA Medical Center, Decatur, GA, USA
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