Trauma-exposed Group Research Articles

Prefrontal metabolite alterations in individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder: a 7T magnetic resonance spectroscopy study.

Evidence from animal and human studies suggests glutamatergic dysfunction in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The purpose of this study was to investigate glutamate abnormalities in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLFPC) of individuals with PTSD using 7T MRS, which has better spectral resolution and signal-to-noise ratio than lower field strengths, thus allowing for better spectral quality and higher sensitivity. We hypothesized that individuals with PTSD would have lower glutamate levels compared to trauma-exposed individuals without PTSD and individuals without trauma exposure. Additionally, we explored potential alterations in other neurometabolites and the relationship between glutamate and psychiatric symptoms. Individuals with PTSD (n=27), trauma-exposed individuals without PTSD (n=27), and individuals without trauma exposure (n=26) underwent 7T MRS to measure glutamate and other neurometabolites in the left DLPFC. The severities of PTSD, depression, anxiety, and dissociation symptoms were assessed. We found that glutamate was lower in the PTSD and trauma-exposed groups compared to the group without trauma exposure. Furthermore, N-acetylaspartate (NAA) was lower and lactate was higher in the PTSD group compared to the group without trauma exposure. Glutamate was negatively correlated with depression symptom severity in the PTSD group. Glutamate was not correlated with PTSD symptom severity. In this first 7T MRS study of PTSD, we observed altered concentrations of glutamate, NAA, and lactate. Our findings provide evidence for multiple possible pathological processes in individuals with PTSD. High-field MRS offers insight into the neurometabolic alterations associated with PTSD and is a powerful tool to probe trauma- and stress-related neurotransmission and metabolism in vivo.

Quality of memories in battered women: Analysis of positive narratives.

In recent years, the evidence regarding the characteristics of positive autobiographical memories in the field of posttraumatic stress disorder has gained increasing interest. The objective of this study was to add to the evidence in this area by analyzing the characteristics of positive memories in a specific trauma population, namely victims of intimate partner violence. The study compared the narratives of highly positive events of 50 battered women (trauma-exposed group) with those of 50 nonexposed women (controls). The results show that, compared with the narratives of the control group, the narratives of the trauma-exposed group contained fewer references to positive emotions and achievement and more words related to the first person and mistreatment. The results support the hypothesis that the consequences of trauma can impact the characteristics of positive autobiographical memories. The resulting clinical implications point toward the possible relevance of adding work with positive memories to the clinical approach to trauma. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Sex Differences in Psychopathology Following Potentially Traumatic Experiences

Various psychopathology may follow trauma; however, sex differences in these ranging manifestations of posttraumatic psychopathology remain understudied. To investigate sex-specific incidence of posttraumatic psychopathology. This population-based cohort study of Danish national health registries included a cohort of individuals who experienced a potentially traumatic event (PTE) from 1994 to 2016. Individuals were further categorized by presence of any pretrauma psychopathology. A comparison group of individuals who experienced a nontraumatic stressor (nonsuicide death of a first-degree relative) was examined as a reference cohort. At least 1 of 8 PTEs (eg, physical assault, transportation accident) derived through health registry International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes, with additional qualifiers to improve classification accuracy. Incidence of 9 categories of ICD-10 psychiatric disorders recorded in registries within 5 years of PTEs. The standardized morbidity ratios (SMRs) for psychopathology outcomes were also calculated to compare individuals experiencing PTEs with those experiencing a nontraumatic stressor. This study included 1 398 026 individuals who had been exposed to trauma (475 280 males [34.0%]; 922 750 females [66.0%]). The group of males who had been exposed to trauma were evenly distributed across age, while most females in the trauma-exposed group were aged 16 to 39 years (592 385 [64.2%]). Males and females were equally distributed across income quartiles and predominantly single. Following PTEs, the most common diagnosis was substance use disorders for males (35 160 [7.4%]) and depressive disorders for females (29 255 [3.2%]); incidence proportions for these and other disorders were higher among males and females with any pretrauma psychopathology. Certain PTEs had elevated onset of various psychiatric disorders and some sex differences emerged. Following physical assault, associations were found with schizophrenia or psychotic disorders for males (SMR, 17.5; 95% CI, 15.9-19.3) and adult personality disorders for females (SMR, 16.3; 95% CI, 14.6-18.3). For noninterpersonal PTEs, males had larger SMRs for substance use, schizophrenia or psychotic disorders, and adult personality disorders (SMR, 43.4; 95% CI, 41.9-45.0), and females had larger SMRs for depressive disorders (SMR, 19.0; 95% CI, 18.6-19.4). Sex differences were also observed, particularly when considering pretrauma psychopathology. For example, among interpersonal PTEs, males were most likely to develop substance use disorders after physical assault, whereas females were more likely to develop various disorders, with stronger associations seen for females without pretrauma psychiatric diagnoses. Among noninterpersonal PTEs, exposure to toxic substance showed robust associations with psychopathology, particularly in those without pretrauma psychopathology, with sex-specific differences across psychiatric categories. Mental disorders after trauma were wide-ranging for males and females, and sex differences in patterns of posttraumatic psychopathology were more pronounced when accounting for pretrauma psychopathology. Findings provide new insights for sex-relevant PTEs and their mental health consequences. It also outlines future directions for advancing understanding of a constellation of posttraumatic psychopathology in males and females.

Prefrontal Metabolite Alterations in Individuals with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A 7T Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Study

Background Evidence from animal and human studies suggests glutamatergic dysfunction in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The purpose of this study was to investigate glutamate abnormalities in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLFPC) of individuals with PTSD using 7T MRS, which has better spectral resolution and signal-to-noise ratio than lower field strengths, thus allowing for better spectral quality and higher sensitivity. We hypothesized that individuals with PTSD would have lower glutamate levels compared to trauma-exposed individuals without PTSD and individuals without trauma exposure. Additionally, we explored potential alterations in other neurometabolites and the relationship between glutamate and psychiatric symptoms. Methods Individuals with PTSD (n = 27), trauma-exposed individuals without PTSD (n = 27), and individuals without trauma exposure (n = 26) underwent 7T MRS to measure glutamate and other neurometabolites in the left DLPFC. The severities of PTSD, depression, anxiety, and dissociation symptoms were assessed. Results We found that glutamate was lower in the PTSD and trauma-exposed groups compared to the group without trauma exposure. Furthermore, N-acetylaspartate (NAA) was lower and lactate was higher in the PTSD group compared to the group without trauma exposure. Glutamate was negatively correlated with depression symptom severity in the PTSD group. Glutamate was not correlated with PTSD symptom severity. Conclusion In this first 7T MRS study of PTSD, we observed altered concentrations of glutamate, NAA, and lactate. Our findings provide evidence for multiple possible pathological processes in individuals with PTSD. High-field MRS offers insight into the neurometabolic alterations associated with PTSD and is a powerful tool to probe trauma- and stress-related neurotransmission and metabolism in vivo.

외상 후 스트레스 장애 잔단 유무에 따른 고령의 재향 군인의 뇌백질 고신호 차이

Objective: Exposure to stressful events is associated with the progression of white matter hyperintensity (WMH). The purpose of this study was to determine the difference in WMH depending on the presence of Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
 Methods: The patients who underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging and clinician-administered PTSD scale (CAPS) at the Veteran Health Service Medical Center were reviewed retrospectively. WMH were evaluated using the Fazekas scale. The patients with PTSD (n=51; age 66.25±10.43 years) were compared with patients exposed to trauma without PTSD (n=67; age 69.45±10.44 years).
 Results: The scores of Beck Depression Scale, Beck Anxiety scale, and CAPS were significantly higher in the PTSD group. The PTSD group showed a significant difference on the Fazekas scale compared to the trauma-exposed group without PTSD (periventricular white matter, p=0.001; deep white matter, p=0.008). After adjusting for age, smoking and comorbidity, WMH was higher in the PTSD group than in the trauma exposed group (periventricular white matter, p<0.001; deep white matter, p=0.006).
 Conclusion: The results suggests that there may be an association between PTSD and WMH as well as stressful events

Eye-tracking indices of attention allocation and attention bias variability are differently related to trauma exposure and PTSD

Amplified attention allocation to negative information in one’s environment has been implicated in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Attention bias variability (ABV), the magnitude of attention fluctuation between negative and neutral cues, has also been found to be elevated in PTSD. While eye-tracking methodology has been used in research on attention allocation in PTSD, ABV was only explored using manual reaction-time-based indices. Thirty-seven participants with PTSD, 34 trauma-exposed healthy controls (TEHC), and 30 non-exposed healthy controls (HC) completed an eye-tracking free-viewing task in which matrices comprised of neutral and negatively-valenced faces were presented. Threat-related attention allocation was calculated as the proportion of dwell time (DT%) on negatively-valenced faces. Eye-tracking-based ABV was calculated as the standard deviation of DT% across matrices. DT% on negatively-valenced faces was greater in participants with PTSD compared to both TEHC (p = .036, d = 0.50) and HC (p < .001, d = 1.03), with TEHCs showing a greater attentional bias compared to HCs (p = .001, d = 0.84). Controlling for average fixation duration, ABV was higher in both the PTSD and TEHC groups relative to the HC group (p = .004, d = 0.40), with no difference between the two trauma-exposed groups. Biased attention allocation toward negative social information is related to PTSD pathology, whereas elevated ABV measured with eye-tracking appear to be related to trauma-exposure per-se.

Systematic Review and Meta-analysis: Group-Based Interventions for Treating Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms in Children and Adolescents

Trauma exposure in childhood is common and can lead to a range of negative mental health outcomes, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In many settings, resources to address this distress are scarce. Group-based interventions require minimal resources and training, can be delivered by non-mental health specialists, and target larger numbers of children and adolescents. This meta-analysis sought to establish whether such an approach is an effective method for targeting PTSD symptoms and to identify potential moderators of effectiveness. PubMed, PsycNET, and PTSDPubs were searched for randomized controlled trials that used a group-based PTSD intervention with children and adolescents aged 6 to 18 years. Data were extracted for PTSD symptoms and depression symptoms. A random-effects meta-analysis was conducted to obtain between-group pooled effect size estimates. This study was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42020187214). The initial search identified 9,650 studies, of which 42 were eligible for inclusion (N= 5,998). Children randomized to a group-based intervention had significantly lower PTSD symptoms after treatment compared with a control group, with a medium pooled effect (g=-0.55, 95% CI [-0.76,-0.35]). Group interventions were superior when compared with either active or passive controls, at follow-up, and for depression symptoms. There was a large amount of heterogeneity, but no evidence that this was explained by whether the intervention was delivered in a low- and middle-income or high-income country, included caregivers, or was universal or targeted. Group PTSD interventions, particularly cognitive-behavioral therapy-based interventions, are effective at targeting posttrauma distress in children and adolescents. There was evidence of effectiveness when delivered in highly complex and resource-scarce settings and to a range of trauma-exposed groups, including groups exposed to war/conflict, natural disasters, and abuse.

Long-term molecular differences between resilient and susceptible mice after a single traumatic exposure.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a heterogeneous disorder induced by trauma, resulting in severe long-term impairments of an individual's mental health. PTSD does not develop in every individual and, thus, some individuals are more resilient. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we aimed to elucidate these processes. We used a single-trauma PTSD model in mice to induce long-term maladaptive behaviours and profiled the mice 4weeks after trauma into resilient or susceptible individuals. The classification of phenotype was based on individual responses in different behavioural experiments. We analysed microbiome, circulating endocannabinoids, and long-term changes in brain phospholipid and transcript levels. We found many molecular differences between resilient and susceptible individuals across multiple molecular domains, including lipidome, transcriptome and gut microbiome. Some differences were stable even several weeks after the trauma, indicating the long-term impact of traumatic stimuli on the organism's physiology. Furthermore, the integration of these multilayered molecular data revealed that resilient and susceptible individuals have very distinct molecular signatures across various physiological systems. Trauma induced individual-specific behavioural responses that, in combination with a longitudinal characterisation of mice, could be used to identify distinct sub-phenotypes within the trauma-exposed group. These groups differed significantly not only in their behaviour but also in specific molecular aspects across a variety of tissues and brain regions. This approach may reveal new targets and predictive biomarkers for the pharmacological treatment and prognosis of stress-related disorders. This article is part of a themed issue on New discoveries and perspectives in mental and pain disorders. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v179.17/issuetoc.

Frontal Alpha Asymmetry in Children with Trauma Exposure.

The purpose of the current study was to investigate differences in frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA) between children (5-17 years) with or without histories of trauma exposure. EEG data were obtained from 165 children who participated in the Healthy Brain Network Initiative during rest with eyes open and closed. FAA during resting-state electroencephalography was significantly more negative in the trauma-exposed group, suggesting greater left lateralized FAA and avoidance-oriented motivation. Moreover, alpha suppression (difference in alpha amplitude between eyes open and eyes closed conditions) was marginally greater in the trauma-exposed group. The results suggest that early exposure to trauma may be associated with trait-level avoidance of environmental stimuli, which ultimately may be predictive of psychopathology, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Study findings thus provide preliminary evidence of brain-based mechanisms that may confer risk for PTSD in the wake of early trauma exposure.

Trauma and institutional risk in a secure developmental disorder service: does the SAVRY inflate risk in adolescents exposed to ACEs?

PurposeAdverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are highly prevalent in people with developmental disorders who engage in offending behaviour. Many violence-based risk assessment tools include items pertaining to ACEs, and may inflate risk scores in trauma-exposed groups. This paper aims to explore the relationships between ACEs, risk assessment scores, incidents of risk and restrictive practices, in adolescents with developmental disorders in a forensic inpatient setting.Design/methodology/approachSecondary analysis was conducted on clinical data for 34 adolescents detained to a developmental disorder service. Data were extracted for Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY) risk scores and risk behaviours and restrictive practices, as measures of observed risk.FindingsParticipants exposed to more ACEs had higher SAVRY risk scores (p < 0.001, two-tailed), with elevations specifically on the historical subscale (p < 0.001, two-tailed). Neither ACEs nor risk scores were associated with the frequency of risk behaviours. Nevertheless, participants exposed to four or more ACEs were secluded more frequently (p = 0.015, two-tailed), indicating a potential association between trauma and risk severity. Those with more complex developmental disorders experienced fewer ACEs (p = 0.02, two-tailed) and engaged in self-harm behaviours less frequently (p = 0.04, two-tailed).Research limitations/implicationsThe inclusion of ACEs in risk assessment tools may lead to the inadvertent stigmatization of trauma-exposed individuals. Further investigation is necessary to offer clarity on the impact of early adversity on risk assessment accuracy and levels of institutional risk, and the role of developmental disorders in this relationship.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to explore the relative associations between ACEs, risk assessment scores and observed institutional risk and does so in a highly marginalized population.

Post-Traumatic Stress and Autobiographical Memory Accuracy in Young Children: Traumatic Events versus Stressful and Pleasant Events

ABSTRACT This study examined the influence of trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress (PTS) severity on accuracy of recall of autobiographical memory of traumatic events and pleasant events in very young children. Two hundred sixteen 3–6 year-old children with trauma exposure were interviewed with standardized interviews. Forty-one non-trauma-exposed controls were interviewed about stressful events for comparison. Accuracy of recall for both traumatic and pleasant events was not associated with severity of PTS. Trauma-exposed children showed significantly less accurate recall of trauma events compared to pleasant events. This difference was limited to children who experienced repeated trauma or Hurricane Katrina-related trauma experiences as opposed to single-blow types of trauma experiences. There was no difference in accuracy of recall of trauma events in the trauma-exposed group versus stressful events in the control group. There was also no difference in accuracy of recall of pleasant events between the trauma-exposed and the control groups. These findings do not support traditional theories that autobiographical recall is impaired in those with posttraumatic stress disorder or with trauma exposure. These findings demonstrate that very young children have access to and can verbalize accurate autobiographical recall of trauma events, which is important for clinical assessment and treatment.

Associations between memory loss and trauma in US asylum seekers: A retrospective review of medico-legal affidavits.

BackgroundThe U.S. immigration system mandates that persons seeking asylum prove their persecution claim is credible and their fear of returning home is well-founded. However, this population represents a highly trauma-exposed group, with neuropsychiatric symptoms consequent to prior torture or maltreatment that may interfere with cognitive function and their ability to recall their trauma. These memory lapses may be incorrectly perceived by asylum adjudicators as indicators of dishonesty and jeopardize the person’s credibility and asylum claim. Our retrospective mixed methods study seeks to present associations between trauma and memory loss in a sample of persons seeking asylum to the U.S. and describe how memory impairments manifest in this trauma-exposed population.MethodsWe randomly selected 200 medico-legal affidavits from 1346 affidavits collected in the past 30 years, as part of the Physicians for Human Rights Asylum Network connecting clinicians with legal providers for medical and/or psychiatric affidavits of U.S. asylum seekers and persons seeking other forms of humanitarian relief (hereafter, “asylum seekers”). Data was extracted from these affidavits using a coding manual informed by the Istanbul Protocol, the global standard for torture documentation. Seven affidavits were excluded due to missing age. We used multiple logistic regression to assess the association of memory loss with neuropsychiatric diagnoses: head trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and depression. We supplemented these findings with a qualitative content analysis of the affidavits documenting memory loss. Memory loss presented among the asylum seekers’ affidavits in several ways: memory gaps of the traumatic event; challenges with presenting a clear chronology of the trauma, avoidance of traumatic memories, and persistent short-term memory loss interfering with daily activity.ResultsA majority of the sample received a neuropsychiatric diagnosis: 69% (n = 132) of asylum-seekers received a diagnosis of PTSD and 55% (n = 106) of depression. Head trauma was reported among 30% (n = 58) of affidavits. Further, 68% (n = 131) reported being subject to physical violence and 20% (n = 39) were documented as being at risk of suicide. Memory loss was documented among 21% (n = 40) asylum-seekers. In adjusted models, both PTSD and depression, but not head trauma, were associated with memory loss (p<0.05).ConclusionStakeholders in the asylum process, spanning the medical, legal and immigration enforcement sectors, must be aware of the interplay of trauma and memory loss and how they might impact immigration proceedings for this vulnerable population.

Attention allocation in posttraumatic stress disorder: an eye-tracking study.

Eye-tracking-based attentional research implicates sustained attention to threat in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, most of this research employed small stimuli set-sizes, small samples that did not include both trauma-exposed healthy participants and non-trauma-exposed participants, and generally failed to report the reliability of used tasks and attention indices. Here, using an established eye-tracking paradigm, we explore attention processes to different negatively-valenced cues in PTSD while addressing these limitations. PTSD patients (n = 37), trauma-exposed healthy controls (TEHC; n = 34), and healthy controls (HC; n = 30) freely viewed three blocks of 30 different matrices of faces, each presented for 6 s. Each block consisted of matrices depicting eight negatively-valenced faces (anger, fear, or sadness) and eight neutral faces. Gaze patterns on negative and neural areas of interest were compared. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were evaluated for the entire sample and within groups. The two trauma-exposed groups dwelled longer on negatively-valenced faces over neutral faces, while HC participants showed the opposite pattern. This attentional bias was more prominent in the PTSD than the TEHC group. Similar results emerged for first-fixation dwell time, but with no differences between the two trauma-exposed groups. No group differences emerged for first-fixation latency or location. Internal consistency and 1-week test-retest reliability were adequate, across and within groups. Sustained attention on negatively-valenced stimuli emerges as a potential target for therapeutic intervention in PTSD designed to divert attention away from negatively-valenced stimuli and toward neutral ones.

Neurocognitive mechanisms of poor social connection in posttraumatic stress disorder: Evidence for abnormalities in social working memory.

Poor social connection is a central feature of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but little is known about the neurocognitive processes associated with social difficulties in this population. We examined recruitment of the default network and behavioral responses during social working memory (SWM; i.e., maintaining and manipulating social information on a moment-to-moment basis) in relation to PTSD and social connection. Participants with PTSD (n = 31) and a trauma-exposed control group (n = 21) underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while completing a task in which they reasoned about two or four people's relationships in working memory (social condition) and alphabetized two or four people's names in working memory (nonsocial condition). Participants also completed measures of social connection (e.g., loneliness, social network size). Compared to trauma-exposed controls, individuals with PTSD reported smaller social networks (p = .032) and greater loneliness (p = .038). Individuals with PTSD showed a selective deficit in SWM accuracy (p = .029) and hyperactivation in the default network, particularly in the dorsomedial subsystem, on trials with four relationships to consider. Moreover, default network hyperactivation in the PTSD group (vs. trauma-exposed group) differentially related to social network size and loneliness (p's < .05). Participants with PTSD also showed less resting state functional connectivity within the dorsomedial subsystem than controls (p = .002), suggesting differences in the functional integrity of a subsystem key to SWM. SWM abnormalities in the default network may be a basic mechanism underlying poorer social connection in PTSD.

Characterization of Comorbid Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder Using Ketamine as an Experimental Medicine Probe †.

Comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder and major depressive disorder (PTSD + MDD) is the most common pathological response to trauma, yet despite their synergistic detriment to health, knowledge regarding the neurobiological mechanism underlying PTSD + MDD is extremely limited. This study proposes a novel model of PTSD + MDD that is built on biological systems shown to underlay PTSD + MDD and takes advantage of ketamine’s unique suitability to probe PTSD + MDD due to its rescue of stress-related neuroplasticity deficits. The central hypothesis is that changes in PTSD + MDD clinical symptoms are associated with functional connectivity changes and cognitive dysfunction and that ketamine infusions improve clinical symptoms by correction of functional connectivity changes and improvement in cognition. Participants with PTSD + MDD (n = 42) will be randomized to receive a series of six ketamine infusions or saline-placebo over three weeks. Pre/post-measures will include: (1) neuroimaging; (2) cognitive functioning task performance; and (3) PTSD, MDD, and rumination self-report measures. These measures will also be collected once in a trauma-exposed group including PTSD-only (n = 10), trauma-exposed-MDD (TE-MDD; n = 10), and healthy controls (HC, n = 21). Successful completion of the study will strongly support the concept of a biologically-based model of PTSD + MDD. The results will (1) identify functional imaging signatures of the mechanisms underpinning pathological responses to trauma, (2) shift focus from mono-diagnostic silos to unified biological and behavioral disease processes and, thus, (3) inform interventions to correct dysregulation of PTSD + MDD symptom clusters thereby supporting more precise treatments and better outcomes.

REM Sleep Behavior Disorder among Veterans with and without Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

ObjectiveAmong veterans, the prevalence of rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is higher than among the general population, and some evidence suggests that this is related to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The purpose of this study was to determine whether the frequency of RBD differs depending on the presence of PTSD or trauma. MethodsPatients who underwent nocturnal polysomnography (PSG) and sleep-related questionnaire surveys at the Veteran Health Service Medical Center were reviewed retrospectively. Based on patients with PTSD (n=20; 100% male; 67.9±8.5 years of age), we matched patients exposed to trauma without PTSD (n23; 100% male; age 64.0±13.4) and patients without trauma (n=21; 100% male; age 59.86±10.9). ResultsPTSD patients reported dream enactment behavior more than the trauma-exposed group without PTSD or the control group (p=0.006). After adjusting for age, there were more RBD patients in the PTSD group than in the trauma exposed group (p=0.049). ConclusionThe results showed that RBD occurred significantly more in veterans with PTSD than those exposed to trauma, which suggests that there may be a pathophysiological association between PTSD and RBD.

The Effect of Self-Reported REM Behavior Disorder Symptomology on Intrusive Memories in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

ABSTRACT Background: PTSD is characterised by severe sleep disturbances, which is increasingly recognised to in many cases consist of similar symptomology to sleep disorders such as REM Behaviour Disorder (RBD). The present study aimed to investigate whether different aspects of sleep quality influence intrusive memory development and whether PTSD status moderates this relationship. Participants and Methods: 34 PTSD, 52 trauma-exposed (TE) and 42 non-trauma exposed (NTE) participants completed an emotional memory task, where they viewed 60 images (20 positive, 20 negative and 20 neutral) and, two days later, reported how many intrusive memories they had of each valence category. Participants also completed three measures of sleep quality: the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the REM Behaviour Disorder Screening Questionnaire and total hours slept before each session. Results: The PTSD group reported poorer sleep quality than both TE and NTE groups on all three measures, and significantly more negative intrusive memories than the NTE group. Mediation analyses revealed that self-reported RBD symptomology before the second session mediated the relationship between PTSD status and intrusive memories. Follow-up moderation analyses revealed that self-reported RBD symptomology before the second session was only a significant predictor of intrusion in the PTSD group, though with a small effect size. Conclusions: These findings suggest that RBD symptomology is an indicator of consolidation of intrusive memories in PTSD but not trauma-exposed or healthy participants, which supports the relevance of characterising RBD in PTSD.

Decreased functional connectivity of hippocampal subregions and methylation of the NR3C1 gene in Han Chinese adults who lost their only child.

Losing one's only child is a major traumatic life event that may lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); however, the underlying mechanisms of its psychological consequences remain poorly understood. Here, we investigated subregional hippocampal functional connectivity (FC) networks based on resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging and the deoxyribonucleic acid methylation of the human glucocorticoid receptor gene (NR3C1) in adults who had lost their only child. A total of 144 Han Chinese adults who had lost their only child (51 adults with PTSD and 93 non-PTSD adults [trauma-exposed controls]) and 50 controls without trauma exposure were included in this fMRI study (age: 40-67 years). FCs between hippocampal subdivisions (four regions in each hemisphere: cornu ammonis1 [CA1], CA2, CA3, and dentate gyrus [DG]) and methylation levels of the NR3C1 gene were compared among the three groups. Trauma-exposed adults, regardless of PTSD diagnosis, had weaker positive FC between the left hippocampal CA1, left DG, and the posterior cingulate cortex, and weaker negative FC between the right CA1, right DG, and several frontal gyri, relative to healthy controls. Compared to non-PTSD adults, PTSD adults showed decreased negative FC between the right CA1 region and the right middle/inferior frontal gyri (MFG/IFG), and decreased negative FC between the right DG and the right superior frontal gyrus and left MFG. Both trauma-exposed groups showed lower methylation levels of the NR3C1 gene. Adults who had lost their only child may experience disrupted hippocampal network connectivity and NR3C1 methylation status, regardless of whether they have developed PTSD.

Supplemental Material for The Event Related Rumination Inventory: Factorial Invariance and Latent Mean Differences Across Trauma-Exposed and Nontrauma-Exposed Groups

Supplemental Material for The Event Related Rumination Inventory: Factorial Invariance and Latent Mean Differences Across Trauma-Exposed and Nontrauma-Exposed Groups

Reduced electrophysiological habituation to novelty after trauma reflects heightened salience network detection

BackgroundEvent-Related Potential (ERP) studies of PTSD have reported enhanced P3 amplitudes in response to trauma-related stimuli that are less likely to habituate over time. MethodsIn the present study, we compared ERPs to the first and last half of an auditory novelty oddball task using neutral (trauma-unrelated) stimuli. Participants were 59 young students who were: trauma-exposed with “Probable PTSD”, trauma-exposed without PTSD, or non-traumatized controls. ResultsReduced P3 amplitudes were observed for the last half of the trials for the entire sample, but this habituation was less profound for both trauma-exposed groups, demonstrating reduced habituation over time. Arousal symptom severity and trauma history negatively correlated with P3 amplitude habituation across the entire sample. Reduced N1 amplitudes for the last half of the trials were found in both trauma-exposed groups, but not among controls. ConclusionsOur findings suggest that trauma-exposed individuals exhibit information processing alterations in response to neutral environmental stimuli that may be related to a general pattern of heightened activity of the Salience Network. Implications for the neurobiological model of PTSD and PTSD psychotherapy are discussed.