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Neural correlates linking trauma and physical symptoms
Justin J Choi1, Jorge S Martins2, Seungju Hwang1
1Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States of America.
Psychiatry Research. Neuroimaging
|November 3, 2022
Summary
Trauma patients exhibit more physical symptoms and altered brain activity in response to stress, particularly in the hippocampus. This suggests trauma may worsen physical health by affecting stress processing and brain function.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Psychology
Background:
- Trauma and chronic pain often co-occur, yet the neurological basis remains unclear.
- Understanding the brain mechanisms linking stress and physical symptoms in trauma survivors is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the neural correlates of stress and physical symptoms in individuals with trauma- and stressor-related disorders.
- To examine brain activity during stress provocation and its association with subsequent physical symptoms.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during a stress provocation task.
- 30-day prospective monitoring of stress and physical symptoms via smartphone surveys.
- Comparison between 10 trauma patients and 18 healthy controls.
Main Results:
- Trauma patients reported significantly more physical symptoms than controls.
- During stress, trauma patients showed increased activity in the hippocampus and insula, but decreased activity in prefrontal areas (vmPFC, LPFC) and dorsal striatum.
- Increased left hippocampal activity during stress correlated with higher physical symptom frequency across all participants.
Conclusions:
- Trauma is associated with heightened physical symptoms and distinct neural responses to stress, including reduced prefrontal and increased limbic activity.
- Compromised hippocampal function in trauma may mediate increased physical health symptoms and vulnerability to stress- and pain-related disorders.
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