Large-scale white matter network reorganization in posttraumatic stress disorder

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Network Science

Background:

• Graph theory enhances understanding of brain connectome and psychiatric disorders.
• Limited knowledge exists on white matter network topology in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate the topological organization of brain white matter networks in patients with PTSD.
• Examine global and nodal network properties and modularity in PTSD.

Main Methods:

• Utilized diffusion tensor imaging and graph theoretical approaches on 76 PTSD patients and 76 matched controls.
• Analyzed global network measures (clustering coefficient, path length) and nodal centralities.
• Assessed modularity and inter-modular connections.

Main Results:

• PTSD patients exhibited lower global clustering coefficient and normalized characteristic path length.
• Increased nodal centralities were observed in specific brain regions (e.g., left middle frontal gyrus, temporal gyri).
• PTSD showed increased inter-modular connections across several brain modules, indicating a shift toward network randomization.

Conclusions:

• Findings suggest a large-scale topological reconfiguration of brain white matter networks in PTSD.
• The observed pattern indicates increased global network integration and a shift towards randomization.
• Stressful experiences leading to PTSD are associated with significant alterations in brain network topology.