Regional Prefrontal Resting-State Functional Connectivity in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Neuroimaging

Background:

• Prefrontal cortex (PFC) subregions are implicated in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) pathophysiology.
• Limited research exists on subregional differences in resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) in PTSD.
• Hypotheses proposed weaker positive rsFC in ventromedial PFC and dorsomedial PFC, and increased negative rsFC in dorsolateral PFC (DLPFC) in PTSD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate subregional differences in rsFC within the PFC in individuals with PTSD.
• To examine the relationship between rsFC alterations, cortical thickness, and PTSD symptom severity.
• To explore the neural underpinnings of PTSD pathophysiology using advanced neuroimaging techniques.

Main Methods:

• Recruited participants with PTSD, trauma-exposed controls, and healthy controls.
• Utilized structural and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI).
• Analyzed rsFC of DLPFC, ventromedial PFC, and dorsomedial PFC seeds; assessed cortical thickness.

Main Results:

• Individuals with PTSD showed increased negative rsFC between the right DLPFC and the precuneus compared to control groups.
• This increased negative rsFC was associated with greater overall PTSD symptom severity.
• Greater negative DLPFC-precuneus connectivity correlated with increased bilateral precuneus cortical thickness.

Conclusions:

• Increased anticorrelation between DLPFC and precuneus in PTSD may indicate heightened opposition between central executive network hubs.
• Findings suggest specific prefrontal-posterior network alterations in PTSD.
• DLPFC-precuneus connectivity and precuneus thickness are potential imaging biomarkers for PTSD symptom severity.