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Malhotra B, Jones LC, Spooner H, Levy C, Kaimal G, Williamson JB. A conceptual framework for a neurophysiological basis of art therapy for PTSD. Front Hum Neurosci 2024; 18:1351757. [PMID: 38711802 PMCID: PMC11073815 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2024.1351757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a heterogeneous condition that affects many civilians and military service members. Lack of engagement, high dropout rate, and variable response to psychotherapy necessitates more compelling and accessible treatment options that are based on sound neuroscientific evidence-informed decision-making. Art therapy incorporates elements proven to be effective in psychotherapy, such as exposure, making it a potentially valuable treatment option. This conceptual paper aims to inform the neurophysiological rationale for the use of art therapy as a therapeutic approach for individuals with PTSD. A narrative synthesis was conducted using literature review of empirical research on the neurophysiological effects of art therapy, with supporting literature on neuroaesthetics and psychotherapies to identify art therapy factors most pertinent for PTSD. Findings were synthesized through a proposed framework based on the triple network model considering the network-based dysfunctions due to PTSD. Art therapy's active components, such as concretization and metaphor, active art engagement, emotion processing and regulation, perspective taking and reframing, and therapeutic alliance, may improve symptoms of PTSD and prompt adaptive brain functioning. Given the scarcity of rigorous studies on art therapy's effectiveness and mechanisms of alleviating PTSD symptoms, the suggested framework offers a neurophysiological rationale and a future research agenda to investigate the impact of art therapy as a therapeutic approach for individuals with PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bani Malhotra
- Department of Creative Arts Therapies, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Laura C. Jones
- Brain Rehabilitation Research Center, North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Heather Spooner
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc. in support of Creative Forces: NEA Military Healing Arts Network, Bethesda, MD, United States
- Center of Arts in Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Charles Levy
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc. in support of Creative Forces: NEA Military Healing Arts Network, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Girija Kaimal
- Department of Creative Arts Therapies, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - John B. Williamson
- Brain Rehabilitation Research Center, North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Center for OCD, Anxiety and Related Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
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Waters AB, Bottari SA, Jones LC, Lamb DG, Lewis GF, Williamson JB. Regional associations of white matter integrity and neurological, post-traumatic stress disorder and autonomic symptoms in Veterans with and without history of loss of consciousness in mild TBI. FRONTIERS IN NEUROIMAGING 2024; 2:1265001. [PMID: 38268858 PMCID: PMC10806103 DOI: 10.3389/fnimg.2023.1265001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
Background Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) share overlapping symptom presentations and are highly comorbid conditions among Veteran populations. Despite elevated presentations of PTSD after mTBI, mechanisms linking the two are unclear, although both have been associated with alterations in white matter and disruptions in autonomic regulation. The present study aimed to determine if there is regional variability in white matter correlates of symptom severity and autonomic functioning in a mixed sample of Veterans with and without PTSD and/or mTBI (N = 77). Methods Diffusion-weighted images were processed to extract fractional anisotropy (FA) values for major white matter structures. The PTSD Checklist-Military version (PCL-M) and Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory (NSI) were used to determine symptom domains within PTSD and mTBI. Autonomic function was assessed using continuous blood pressure and respiratory sinus arrythmia during a static, standing angle positional test. Mixed-effect models were used to assess the regional specificity of associations between symptom severity and white matter, with FA, global symptom severity (score), and white matter tract (tract) as predictors. Additional interaction terms of symptom domain (i.e., NSI and PCL-M subscales) and loss of consciousness (LoC) were added to evaluate potential moderating effects. A parallel analysis was conducted to explore concordance with autonomic functioning. Results Results from the two-way Score × Tract interaction suggested that global symptom severity was associated with FA in the cingulum angular bundle (positive) and uncinate fasciculus (negative) only, without variability by symptom domain. We also found regional specificity in the relationship between FA and autonomic function, such that FA was positively associated with autonomic function in all tracts except the cingulum angular bundle. History of LoC moderated the association for both global symptom severity and autonomic function. Conclusions Our findings are consistent with previous literature suggesting that there is significant overlap in the symptom presentation in TBI and PTSD, and white matter variability associated with LoC in mTBI may be associated with increased PTSD-spectra symptoms. Further research on treatment response in patients with both mTBI history and PTSD incorporating imaging and autonomic assessment may be valuable in understanding the role of brain injury in treatment outcomes and inform treatment design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail B. Waters
- Brain Rehabilitation Research Center, North Florida/South Georgia VAMC, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Sarah A. Bottari
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Center for OCD and Anxiety Related Disorders, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Laura C. Jones
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Center for OCD and Anxiety Related Disorders, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Damon G. Lamb
- Brain Rehabilitation Research Center, North Florida/South Georgia VAMC, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Center for OCD and Anxiety Related Disorders, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Gregory F. Lewis
- Socioneural Physiology Lab, Kinsey Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States
| | - John B. Williamson
- Brain Rehabilitation Research Center, North Florida/South Georgia VAMC, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Center for OCD and Anxiety Related Disorders, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
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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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