Individual Patterns of Abnormality in Resting-State Functional Connectivity Reveal Two Data-Driven PTSD Subgroups
Adi Maron-Katz1, Yu Zhang1, Manjari Narayan1
1Department of Bioengineering (Toll) and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute (Maron-Katz, Zhang, Narayan, Wu, Toll, Naparstek, De Los Angeles, Longwell, Shpigel, Etkin), Stanford University, Stanford, Calif.; VA Palo Alto Health Care System and Sierra Pacific Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Palo Alto, Calif. (Maron-Katz, Zhang, Narayan, Wu, Toll, Naparstek, De Los Angeles, Longwell, Shpigel, Etkin); School of Automation Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China (Wu); Steven and Alexandra Cohen Veterans Center for the Study of Post-Traumatic Stress and Traumatic Brain Injury and Department of Psychiatry (Newman, Abu-Amara, Marmar), New York University Langone School of Medicine, New York.
This study identifies distinct neurobiological subgroups within posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) using functional MRI. These findings suggest personalized treatment approaches for PTSD heterogeneity.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) exhibits significant clinical heterogeneity, complicating understanding and treatment.
- This heterogeneity may stem from diverse neurobiological underpinnings, challenging traditional group-based research methods.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate individual-level neuroimaging abnormalities in PTSD.
- To identify clinically meaningful insights into PTSD heterogeneity using statistical abnormality detection.
Main Methods:
- Resting-state functional MRI data from 87 unmedicated PTSD cases and 105 healthy controls were analyzed.
- Abnormal functional connectivity was modeled using tolerance intervals against a normative control population.
- Clustering analysis identified PTSD subgroups based on distinct abnormality profiles.
Main Results:
- Two distinct PTSD subgroups were identified, each with unique functional connectivity abnormality patterns.
- These subgroups differed in clinical presentation, specifically reexperiencing symptoms.
- Subgroup differences were also detectable using resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) data.
Conclusions:
- Abnormality-based approaches are effective for studying heterogeneity in clinical populations.
- This method can reveal subpopulations with distinct biological signatures for focused investigation.
- Future research can leverage these findings for more targeted PTSD research and treatment strategies.
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