1
|
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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Webb EK, Ely TD, Rowland GE, Lebois LAM, van Rooij SJH, Bruce SE, Jovanovic T, House SL, Beaudoin FL, An X, Neylan TC, Clifford GD, Linnstaedt SD, Germine LT, Bollen KA, Rauch SL, Haran JP, Storrow AB, Lewandowski C, Musey PI, Hendry PL, Sheikh S, Jones CW, Punches BE, Swor RA, Pascual JL, Seamon MJ, Datner EM, Pearson C, Peak DA, Merchant RC, Domeier RM, Rathlev NK, Sergot P, Sanchez LD, Kessler RC, Koenen KC, McLean SA, Stevens JS, Ressler KJ, Harnett NG. Neighborhood Disadvantage and Neural Correlates of Threat and Reward Processing in Survivors of Recent Trauma. JAMA Netw Open 2023; 6:e2334483. [PMID: 37721751 PMCID: PMC10507487 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.34483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Importance Differences in neighborhood socioeconomic characteristics are important considerations in understanding differences in risk vs resilience in mental health. Neighborhood disadvantage is associated with alterations in the function and structure of threat neurocircuitry. Objective To investigate associations of neighborhood disadvantage with white and gray matter and neural reactivity to positive and negative stimuli in the context of trauma exposure. Design, Setting, and Participants In this cross-sectional study, survivors of trauma who completed sociodemographic and posttraumatic symptom assessments and neuroimaging were recruited as part of the Advancing Understanding of Recovery After Trauma (AURORA) study between September 2017 and June 2021. Data analysis was performed from October 25, 2022, to February 15, 2023. Exposure Neighborhood disadvantage was measured with the Area Deprivation Index (ADI) for each participant home address. Main Outcomes and Measures Participants completed separate threat and reward tasks during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Diffusion-weighted and high-resolution structural images were also collected. Linear models assessed the association of ADI with reactivity, microstructure, and macrostructure of a priori regions of interest after adjusting for income, lifetime trauma, sex at birth, and age. A moderated-mediation model tested whether ADI was associated with neural activity via microstructural changes and if this was modulated by PTSD symptoms. Results A total of 280 participants (183 females [65.4%]; mean [SD] age, 35.39 [13.29] years) completed the threat task and 244 participants (156 females [63.9%]; mean [SD] age, 35.10 [13.26] years) completed the reward task. Higher ADI (per 1-unit increase) was associated with greater insula (t274 = 3.20; β = 0.20; corrected P = .008) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC; t274 = 2.56; β = 0.16; corrected P = .04) threat-related activity after considering covariates, but ADI was not associated with reward reactivity. Greater disadvantage was also associated with altered microstructure of the cingulum bundle (t274 = 3.48; β = 0.21; corrected P = .001) and gray matter morphology of the ACC (cortical thickness: t273 = -2.29; β = -0.13; corrected P = .02; surface area: t273 = 2.53; β = 0.13; corrected P = .02). The moderated-mediation model revealed that ADI was associated with ACC threat reactivity via cingulum microstructural changes (index of moderated mediation = -0.02). However, this mediation was only present in individuals with greater PTSD symptom severity (at the mean: β = -0.17; standard error = 0.06, t= -2.28; P = .007; at 1 SD above the mean: β = -0.28; standard error = 0.08; t = -3.35; P < .001). Conclusions and Relevance In this study, neighborhood disadvantage was associated with neurobiology that supports threat processing, revealing associations of neighborhood disadvantage with neural susceptibility for PTSD and suggesting how altered structure-function associations may complicate symptoms. Future work should investigate specific components of neighborhood disadvantage that may be associated with these outcomes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- E Kate Webb
- 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
| | - Grace E Rowland
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts
| | - Lauren A M Lebois
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Sanne J H van Rooij
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Steven E Bruce
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri-St Louis
| | - Tanja Jovanovic
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan
| | - Stacey L House
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri
| | - Francesca L Beaudoin
- Department of Epidemiology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
| | - Xinming An
- Institute for Trauma Recovery, Department of Anesthesiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Thomas C Neylan
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco
- Department Neurology, University of California, San Francisco
| | - Gari D Clifford
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta
| | - Sarah D Linnstaedt
- Institute for Trauma Recovery, Department of Anesthesiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Laura T Germine
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- The Many Brains Project, Belmont, Massachusetts
- Institute for Technology in Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Kenneth A Bollen
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Department of Sociology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Scott L Rauch
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Institute for Technology in Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts
| | - John P Haran
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts
| | - Alan B Storrow
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
| | | | - Paul I Musey
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis
| | - Phyllis L Hendry
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine-Jacksonville
| | - Sophia Sheikh
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine-Jacksonville
| | - Christopher W Jones
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, New Jersey
| | - Brittany E Punches
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus
- College of Nursing, Ohio State University, Columbus
| | - Robert A Swor
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, Rochester, Michigan
| | - Jose L Pascual
- Department of Surgery, Division of Traumatology, Surgical Critical Care and Emergency Surgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
- Department of Neurosurgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
| | - Mark J Seamon
- Department of Surgery, Division of Traumatology, Surgical Critical Care and Emergency Surgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
| | - Elizabeth M Datner
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Einstein Healthcare Network, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Claire Pearson
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Wayne State University, Ascension St John Hospital, Detroit, Michigan
| | - David A Peak
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
| | - Roland C Merchant
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Robert M Domeier
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Trinity Health-Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Michigan
| | - Niels K Rathlev
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School-Baystate, Springfield
| | - Paulina Sergot
- Department of Emergency Medicine, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth, Houston, Texas
| | - Leon D Sanchez
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Ronald C Kessler
- Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Karestan C Koenen
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Samuel A McLean
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Institute for Trauma Recovery, Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Jennifer S Stevens
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Kerry J Ressler
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Nathaniel G Harnett
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Dickins KA, Reed M, Paun O, Swanson B, Karnik NS. Biopsychosocial Model of Traumatic Stress Symptoms in Women Experiencing Homelessness: A Qualitative Descriptive Study. Issues Ment Health Nurs 2023:1-12. [PMID: 37267047 DOI: 10.1080/01612840.2023.2205522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Trauma is nearly ubiquitous among women experiencing homelessness (WEH). WEH develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at rates far exceeding the general population. The consequences of untreated PTSD can cascade, exacerbating existing physical, mental, and social health inequities, placing this population at risk for disproportionate biopsychosocial health adversity. Despite the outsized impact of PTSD, WEH are less likely to access or receive appropriate trauma-focused services. Understanding the unique and intersecting factors that contribute to the disproportionate PTSD toll on WEH may elucidate risk and protective factors, as well as possible intervention pathways to address the disparate trauma burden. This study employed a qualitative descriptive approach to develop understanding of the determinants of trauma risk, exposure, and outcomes among WEH. Semi-structured interviews were completed with 10 WEH, six shelter staff, four mental health professionals. Six deductively biopsychosocial model-derived themes were identified, alongside supporting categories. Themes/categories highlighted the role of biological, psychological, and socio-environmental determinants in shaping risk for and actualization of traumatic events and adverse outcomes. Trauma played an outsized role in shaping the health of WEH participants in this study, and the need for and interest in tailored trauma screening, treatment, psychoeducation options was highlighted. Recursive relationships between biopsychosocial determinants and trauma impact were identified. Participants emphasized population tailored trauma-focused interventions, specifically brief co-designed and community partner implemented interventions that address substance use behaviors, while leveraging the strengths of WEH. Addressing the marked trauma burden in WEH shows promise in promoting measurable biopsychosocial health improvements in this resilient yet overlooked population.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kirsten A Dickins
- Department of Community, Systems and Mental Health Nursing, Rush University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Monique Reed
- Department of Community, Systems and Mental Health Nursing, Rush University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Olimpia Paun
- Department of Community, Systems and Mental Health Nursing, Rush University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Barbara Swanson
- Department of Adult Health and Gerontologic Nursing, Rush University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Niranjan S Karnik
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute for Juvenile Research, College of Medicine, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Webb EK, Cardenas-Iniguez C, Douglas R. Radically reframing studies on neurobiology and socioeconomic circumstances: A call for social justice-oriented neuroscience. Front Integr Neurosci 2022; 16:958545. [PMID: 36118113 PMCID: PMC9479322 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2022.958545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Socioeconomic circumstances are associated with symptoms and diagnostic status of nearly all mental health conditions. Given these robust relationships, neuroscientists have attempted to elucidate how socioeconomic-based adversity "gets under the skin." Historically, this work emphasized individual proxies of socioeconomic position (e.g., income, education), ignoring the effects of broader socioeconomic contexts (e.g., neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage) which may uniquely contribute to chronic stress. This omission represented a disconnect between neuroscience and other allied fields that have recognized health is undeniably linked to interactions between systems of power and individual characteristics. More recently, neuroscience work has considered how sociopolitical context affects brain structure and function; however, the products of this exciting line of research have lacked critical sociological and historical perspectives. While empirical evidence on this topic is burgeoning, the cultural, ethical, societal, and legal implications of this work have been elusive. Although the mechanisms by which socioeconomic circumstances impact brain structure and function may be similar across people, not everyone is exposed to these factors at similar rates. Individuals from ethnoracially minoritized groups are disproportionally exposed to neighborhood disadvantage. Thus, socioeconomic inequities examined in neuroscience research are undergirding with other forms of oppression, namely structural racism. We utilize a holistic, interdisciplinary approach to interpret findings from neuroscience research and interweave relevant theories from the fields of public health, social sciences, and Black feminist thought. In this perspective piece, we discuss the complex relationship that continues to exist between academic institutions and underserved surrounding communities, acknowledging the areas in which neuroscience research has historically harmed and/or excluded structurally disadvantaged communities. We conclude by envisioning how this work can be used; not just to inform policymakers, but also to engage and partner with communities and shape the future direction of human neuroscience research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- E. Kate Webb
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, United States
| | - Carlos Cardenas-Iniguez
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Robyn Douglas
- Department of Psychological and Behavioral Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| |
Collapse
|