Structural brain features signaling trauma, PTSD, or resilience? A systematic exploration.

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Neurobiology
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Neurobiological markers for trauma exposure, PTSD, and resilience are sought for PTSD therapeutics.
• Previous findings on these markers have been inconsistent.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically explore structural brain markers for trauma, PTSD, and resilience using a data-driven approach.
• To identify if distinct brain markers emerge when examining trauma, PTSD, and resilience concurrently.

Main Methods:

• A data-driven cluster analysis was performed on structural MRI data from 129 participants (46 PTSD, 49 trauma-exposed healthy controls, 34 healthy controls).
• Brain volumes, cortical thickness, and surface areas were analyzed to identify clusters differentiating groups.
• Proportions of PTSD, healthy controls (HC), and trauma-exposed healthy controls (TEHC) within clusters indicated marker presence.

Main Results:

• Two distinct clusters were identified.
• One cluster, enriched with TEHCs and termed the resilience cluster, showed increased volume in brain regions associated with trauma exposure, notably the thalamus and rostral middle frontal gyrus.
• The identified clusters were robust and consistent upon cross-validation.

Conclusions:

• The study provides evidence supporting the existence of structural brain markers associated with resilience to trauma.
• These findings may contribute to understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of resilience.