Functional connectivity of each amygdala subdivision during sub- and supraliminal trauma-related word processing.

Functional connectivity of each amygdala subdivision during sub- and supraliminal trauma-related word processing.</p

CSS873663 Supplemental Material - Supplemental material for Back to the Basics: Resting State Functional Connectivity of the Reticular Activating System in PTSD and its Dissociative Subtype

Supplemental material, CSS873663 Supplemental Material for Back to the Basics: Resting State Functional Connectivity of the Reticular Activating System in PTSD and its Dissociative Subtype by Janine Thome, Maria Densmore, Georgia Koppe, Braeden Terpou, Jean Théberge, Margaret C. McKinnon and Ruth A. Lanius in Chronic Stress</p

Graphical depiction of the experimental design.

<p><b>Subliminal session is depicted on the left, supraliminal session on the right. Above panels depict the block design. Below panels depict timing windows and stimulus presentation within word blocks (the trauma-related word block in this case).</b> Note: ms: milliseconds; sec: seconds; stim: stimulus.</p

Table_1_Contrasting Associations Between Heart Rate Variability and Brainstem-Limbic Connectivity in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Its Dissociative Subtype: A Pilot Study.pdf

BackgroundIncreasing evidence points toward the need to extend the neurobiological conceptualization of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to include evolutionarily conserved neurocircuitries centered on the brainstem and the midbrain. The reticular activating system (RAS) helps to shape the arousal state of the brain, acting as a bridge between brain and body. To modulate arousal, the RAS is closely tied to the autonomic nervous system (ANS). Individuals with PTSD often reveal altered arousal patterns, ranging from hyper- to blunted arousal states, as well as altered functional connectivity profiles of key arousal-related brain structures that receive direct projections from the RAS. Accordingly, the present study aims to explore resting state functional connectivity of the RAS and its interaction with the ANS in participants with PTSD and its dissociative subtype.MethodsIndividuals with PTSD (n = 57), its dissociative subtype (PTSD + DS, n = 32) and healthy controls (n = 40) underwent a 6-min resting functional magnetic resonance imaging and pulse data recording. Resting state functional connectivity (rsFC) of a central node of the RAS – the pedunculopontine nuclei (PPN) – was investigated along with its relation to ANS functioning as indexed by heart rate variability (HRV). HRV is a prominent marker indexing the flexibility of an organism to react adaptively to environmental needs, with higher HRV representing greater effective adaptation.ResultsBoth PTSD and PTSD + DS demonstrated reduced HRV as compared to controls. HRV measures were then correlated with rsFC of the PPN. Critically, participants with PTSD and participants with PTSD + DS displayed inverse correlations between HRV and rsFC between the PPN and key limbic structures, including the amygdala. Whereas participants with PTSD displayed a positive relationship between HRV and PPN rsFC with the amygdala, participants with PTSD + DS demonstrated a negative relationship between HRV and PPN rsFC with the amygdala.ConclusionThe present exploratory investigation reveals contrasting patterns of arousal-related circuitry among participants with PTSD and PTSD + DS, providing a neurobiological lens to interpret hyper- and more blunted arousal states in PTSD and PTSD + DS, respectively.</p

Aberrant Functional Connectivity of the Amygdala Complexes in PTSD during Conscious and Subconscious Processing of Trauma-Related Stimuli - Fig 2

<p><b>On the left, a) Increased (PTSD>CNTR) and decreased (CNTR>PTSD) functional connectivity of the amygdala complexes during processing of SUBLIMINAL (subconscious) trauma-related words in PTSD as compared to controls. On the right, b) Increased (PTSD>CNTR) functional connectivity of the amygdala complexes during processing of SUPRALIMINAL (conscious) trauma-related words in PTSD as compared to controls. Coordinates are reported in MNI. Color bar indicates <i>t</i> scores.</b> Note: BLA: basolateral amygdala; CMA: centromedial amygdala; CNTR: control group; L: left; PTSD: post-traumatic stress disorder group; R: right.</p

Clinical and demographic information divided by group.

<p>Clinical and demographic information divided by group.</p

Supplemental material for The Threatful Self: Midbrain Functional Connectivity to Cortical Midline and Parietal Regions During Subliminal Trauma-Related Processing in PTSD

Supplemental Material for The Threatful Self: Midbrain Functional Connectivity to Cortical Midline and Parietal Regions During Subliminal Trauma-Related Processing in PTSD by Braeden A. Terpou, Maria Densmore, Jean Théberge, Janine Thome, Paul Frewen, Margaret C. McKinnon and Ruth A. Lanius in Chronic Stress</p

Overlapping frontoparietal networks in response to oculomotion and traumatic autobiographical memory retrieval: implications for eye movement desensitization and reprocessing

Background: Oculomotor movements have been shown to aid in the retrieval of episodic memories, serving as sensory cues that engage frontoparietal brain regions to reconstruct visuospatial details of a memory. Frontoparietal brain regions not only are involved in oculomotion, but also mediate, in part, the retrieval of autobiographical episodic memories and assist in emotion regulation. Objective: We sought to investigate how oculomotion influences retrieval of traumatic memories by examining patterns of frontoparietal brain activation during autobiographical memory retrieval in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and in healthy controls. Method: Thirty-nine participants (controls, n = 19; PTSD, n = 20) recollected both neutral and traumatic/stressful autobiographical memories while cued simultaneously by horizontal and vertical oculomotor stimuli. The frontal (FEF) and supplementary (SEF) eye fields were used as seed regions for psychophysiological interaction analyses in SPM12. Results: As compared to controls, upon retrieval of a traumatic/stressful memory while also performing simultaneous horizontal eye movements, PTSD showed: i) increased SEF and FEF connectivity with the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, ii) increased SEF connectivity with the right dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, and iii) increased SEF connectivity with the right anterior insula. By contrast, as compared to PTSD, upon retrieval of a traumatic/stressful memory while also performing simultaneous horizontal eye movements, controls showed: i) increased FEF connectivity with the right posterior insula and ii) increased SEF connectivity with the precuneus. Conclusions: These findings provide a neurobiological account for how oculomotion may influence the frontoparietal cortical representation of traumatic memories. Implications for eye movement desensitization and reprocessing are discussed.</p